Youth care needs to be organised differently. Demand for care and waiting lists are growing explosively; complaints (from care professionals) about bureaucratisation and complexity are increasing; costs are skyrocketing, while scarcity (of staff, resources and care provision) is increasing. The government therefore sees a greater role for society (i.e. the social environment of the demand for care) in the future of care. However, this is not a task that can be imposed on society unilaterally: it also requires a different way of thinking about and organising the youth care system. In short, youth care will have to be designed not only to solve problems; it will have to be designed in such a way that it strengthens the problem-solving and caring capacity of society itself.
What we do
Socires and VU University Amsterdam are conducting practical research into forms of “community-building youth care” in a programme with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). The research focuses on three youth care providers who (according to their own statements) have organised their organisations according to this principle. We are investigating the hypothesis of whether and how these cases can serve as practical examples of organisations that have succeeded in combining their role as professional care providers with the task of strengthening social ties (i.e. the caring capacity of the social network) around the care demand. An important precondition is that these providers do so while maintaining the quality of care, being cost-effective (or even cost-reducing) and increasing the satisfaction of professionals and patients. The research culminates in a recommendation or guideline for the organisation of youth care in accordance with the best practices of the providers studied. We have also tested this recommendation with various (local) social stakeholders.
Who we work with
The programme consists of three phases: research, hypothesis, recommendation. VU University Amsterdam is conducting the qualitative research; Socires is organising the guidance and dialogue process.
The Department of Health, Welfare and Sport provided a start-up grant for this programme in 2024.
Want to know more?
Would you like more information? Please contact Kees Buitendijk or Kees Verhaar.
