Over the next four years, the cabinet will allocate a total of 40 million euros extra for institutions that provide youth care. Minister Franc Weerwind (Legal Protection) and State Secretary Van Ooijen (Youth and Prevention, ChristenUnie) write this on Wednesday. a letter to the House of Representatives. The condition is, however, that municipalities release the same amount. The total of 80 million euros is intended, among other things, to attract new youth protectors and reduce the workload of existing employees.
In recent years, various authorities have sounded the alarm about the dire situation in youth care. The government is failing to protect vulnerable children, concluded the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) and the Justice and Security Inspectorate (IJenV) recently in a letter to the ministers. Leiden University reached a similar conclusion, and the judiciary and the Child Protection Board have also previously expressed their concerns.
Due to the high workload in youth care, children and their parents do not receive the help they need, Van Ooijen and Weerwind acknowledged on Wednesday. “They often have to wait too long for a youth protector, for an action plan for help and for appropriate help.” That delay can be a risk to their development or safety, the letter to parliament states. Meanwhile, youth protectors feel that they are “falling short” because they “cannot give sufficient time and attention to the youth and families.”
Also read: ‘Youth care is broken,’ says Van Ooijen. What’s his plan?
Divorces
According to the ministers, it is important to ‘take a critical look’ at the influx into youth protection in order to reduce the workload. For example, in recent years youth workers have been treating “considerably” more children whose parents are divorced. According to the ministers, a custodial placement is ‘not appropriate’ for these children and help must be sought elsewhere.
In addition, the ministers believe that referring to youth protection should be made simpler. The working method can differ per municipality, which means that organizing youth care is a ‘time-consuming job’ with ‘a lot of research’, and less time and energy is left for the child.
‘Waiting lists inevitable’
The ministers are also investigating whether rules should be adjusted, so that some tasks can be performed by support staff, such as lawyers. But whatever decisions are taken, waiting lists are currently “inevitable”, according to the ministers.
Youth care Netherlands calls the plans of the cabinet insufficient on Wednesday. The urgency ‘sounds through in the letter’, according to a letter declaration, but is lacking in the elaboration of the measures. According to Jeugdzorg, the amounts mentioned are “insignificant compared to the enormous tasks that lie ahead”.
Also read: She spent half her childhood in youth care, but what was really wrong remained a secret