Social Services in The Netherlands

The provision of care and welfare (social services) and its constituent system are directed at the encouragement, care, support and counselling of people. They are meant to help people to feel well and to function adequately in their families, at work, at school and in their neighbourhoods. The responsibility for social services in the Netherlands has been almost completely decentralised. The provinces

and the 496 municipalities receive money from the central government to ‘buy’ services from private organisations.

The 12 provinces are responsible for the professional support of social workers. They also have some coordinating tasks in the fields of child- and youth care and care for the elderly.

In addition, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) is responsible for the overall care- and welfare policies, for innovation, research and international relations. However, the larger part of

these responsibilities is transferred to (semi)private national bodies such as the NIZW (Editors: Netherlands Institute for Care and Welfare). This organisation of the care and welfare sector is laid

down in the Welfare Act, which was implemented in 1994. Institutions for the disabled, home care, nursing homes and residential homes for the elderly are covered by the Exceptional Medical

Expenses Act (AWBZ). The Facilities for the Disabled Act (WVG) encompasses the provision of (medical) aids, adjustments in houses and compensation for transport. The WVG is also implemented by the local authorities.

Main Sectors

Here we will briefly discuss five main types or sectors of social services.

Care for the disabled

Policies for the physically disabled and mentally disabled focus on the principle of equal opportunity. Physical and social integration are the main issues. Services are needed to realise these aims.

Many services for the disabled are directed at the non-care and welfare sectors, for instance education, employment, social security, transport and housing. These services focus on adjustments in homes and offices, accessibility of public areas and buildings, the creation of sheltered employment and extra support for special education.

For physically disabled people living at home but unable to work independently, there are activity centres. Similar provisions exist for people with a mental disability. For the more severely mentally handicapped there is a range of residential and semi-residential services, such as ‘sheltered workshops’, where people can work under adapted working conditions. Residential services are provided for those who cannot manage on their own.

The overall policy is to reduce the number of disabled in residential care and to have small-scale services in all cases. The personal budget has been introduced in an effort to better match needs and benefits.

Care for the elderly

Older people should be able to participate in public life and live on their own as much and for as long as possible, with additional assistance when necessary. In this respect home care is an important factor. Providers of home care services offer all care, nursing, and monitoring services for people who require assistance at home. They also lend and sell all sorts of (medical) aids. Home care usually consists of relatively ‘light’ domestic help for a couple of hours per week. More frequent and/or intensive help is provided when needed for a limited period of time. There are also residential homes for people who are unable to live alone even with the help of home care and informal care. And finally, nursing homes focus on those who need the most intensive type of care and nursing.

At the local level there are various welfare organisations for the elderly. They offer services like ‘meals on wheels’, organise social events, excursions, et cetera. Educational activities ‘for the third age’ are becoming increasingly popular. In many places elderly people participate in local ‘guilds’ for guiding services and other voluntary jobs.

Ethnic Minorities

Resident members of an ethnic minority should have access to and make use of existing general services as much as possible. At the same time it should be possible for them to retain and develop their native culture. For these reasons the authorities often offer financial support to minority organisations. Special services and policies for (immigrant) minorities exist only in urgent cases, for instance for refugees and asylum seekers. These groups are given (compulsory) courses in Dutch language and culture. In addition there are many informal (non-certificate) and formal courses aimed at immigrants and disadvantaged groups of immigrants: how to overcome health problems, how to find a job, etc. Over the past few years many efforts have been made to improve the home and family situation of immigrants with parenting support, pre-school education and extra attention for immigrant pupils. A special law has been adopted to promote equal opportunities for immigrants on the labour market.

Youth policy

Child and youth care consists of youth protection and voluntary youth care. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for youth protection. Young people who come into ‘contact with the law’ can be placed in residential institution or in guardianship. Voluntary care consists of ambulatory youth care, foster care and residential care, or a combination of these three. For complex problems and/or intensive treatment there are special provincial or regional childcare service bureaus one can turn to for an independent

need assessment.

Preventive youth policy is the responsibility of the local authorities. Almost all municipalities finance services specifically meant for young people, such as youth centres, youth information and counselling

centres and community centres. In addition there are many voluntary organisations working in leisure and sports. People other than the parents define day care for children as the organised care and upbringing of children between the ages of 0 and 12, for a fee. Child day care is financed from a mix of contributions from the government, from companies who pay for their employees and by parental contributions.

Local Social Policy

Authorities use the term ‘social policy’ to define a common, comprehensive approach to social problems for individuals and neighbourhoods. A great many institutions and services deal with local social policy. Community work encompasses services such as community centres, youth centres, day nurseries, street-corner work, play facilities, nonformal education. Most of the work is done by volunteers and in many cases activities are restricted to a certain area or neighbourhood. Social services provide professional assistance of both material and non-material nature. Types of services rendered are: general social services (directed at how people function personally and socially), information and consultancy (for instance on work and pay, consumer affairs, debt restructuring), telephone help lines. Crisis care services offer accommodation, guidance and counselling. Most shelters and care facilities provide care for a particular group of people, method or problem. For example shelter for women or for the homeless.

Trends

Competition between providers, benchmarking of results and an increasing influence of clients are the main trends in care and welfare work today. As a result, social services should become more effective and consumerfriendly.

Braakenburg, Henri, Social Services in the Netherlands, in: Newsletter Observatory for the Development of Social Services in Europe 1/2002, p.6f.