Dutch government and municipalities unite to improve youth support nationwide
Families across the Netherlands will soon have easier access to local support for youth care and parenting questions. New agreements aim to standardize assistance, reduce specialist care needs, and ensure help is available close to home, benefiting thousands of young people and their families.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Agreement Name | Covenant Strong Local Teams |
| Signatories | Association of Dutch Municipalities, ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport, Education, Culture and Science, and 8 other organizations |
| Goal | Standardize and strengthen local youth support teams nationwide |
| Target Group | Young people and families |
| First Point of Contact | Local teams in neighborhoods or schools |
| Related Legislation | Scope of Authority Bill |
| Implementation Level | Municipalities across the Netherlands |
The Dutch government, in collaboration with municipalities, plays a pivotal role in shaping youth care policies and ensuring their implementation at the local level. These agreements reflect their commitment to providing accessible, coherent, and tailored support to families, reducing disparities between regions.
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external link to whydonate.comRead the full translated article below
Agreements for strong local teams in every municipality: assistance close to families
By addressing problems earlier, young people can receive better assistance. Heavier, specialist youth care can also be prevented more often. That is why it is important for assistance to be available close to young people and their families. Local teams play a key role in this. They support residents, for example with questions about care and upbringing. Municipalities, the central government and other organizations have made new agreements to strengthen these local teams. With the covenant Strong Local Teams, they agree that the teams will be well-organized throughout the Netherlands.
The covenant was signed by the Association of Dutch Municipalities, the ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport and Education, Culture and Science, the Association of Neighborhood Teams, the Collaborating Professional Associations Youth, GGD GHOR Netherlands, ActiZ Youth, MIND, Ieder(in) and Social Work Netherlands.
Minister Sterk (Youth): “If you are worried or have concerns about your child, you want to be able to speak to someone quickly who can think along with you. This should be possible in a low-threshold manner everywhere in the Netherlands. It is important that we do not only look at the child, but at the entire family. In this way, young people receive better assistance, the pressure on additional assistance can be reduced and youth care will be more sustainable for the future.”
State Secretary Tielen (Education): Young people grow and learn every day. For that, it is important that young people and their parents have people close by who know and see them. Strong local teams, at and around schools, can help them when things are not going well. In this way, teachers can do what they are good at: teaching. And students can do what matters: learning and developing.
Local teams provide tailored assistance to families
The local team is the first point of contact for young people and families, for example with questions about parenting. The team takes a broad view of what is happening in the family and helps to address underlying problems. Where necessary, they work together with other domains, such as education and debt assistance. The teams are present in the neighborhood or at schools.
Fewer differences between municipalities
There are currently still major differences between municipalities in the support provided to residents. With the covenant, municipalities, implementing organizations and the central government agree to align more closely in their assistance. This should make it clearer for residents what they can expect. The signatories find it important that everyone can rely on accessible, coherent and tailored support, regardless of where someone lives.
Scope of Authority Bill
This approach aligns with the Scope of Authority Bill. With this, the cabinet wants to solve problems as close as possible to young people and families and deploy specialist youth care only when it is truly necessary. In this way, young people receive appropriate assistance more quickly, municipalities gain more control and youth care will be more sustainable for the future.
Click here for the covenant.