Family assistance closer at hand in Meerpunten
Parents and educators in Zoetermeer will soon be able to visit eight Meerpunten locations throughout the city for advice and support. On January 16, Aldermen Marijke van der Meer (Youth and Education) and District Alderman Véronique Frinking opened the first location in Oosterheem. Meerpunten locations in other areas will also open their doors in the coming months.
The Meerpunt are already at work. Meerpunt families with the help of experts in all matters relating to parenting and growing up. These can be small (anonymous) questions or larger challenges within the family. The teams are familiar with the neighborhood in which they work and know how best to help families. In this way, the municipality wants to ensure that parents can go closer to home with their questions. Schools and general practitioners work together in and with the new drop-in centers.
Good and on time
At present, many children and young people are still referred to highly specialized youth care services. Alderman Van der Meer wants to use the Meerpunt to ensure that this is less often necessary: "We do this by helping families as quickly as possible when parenting problems arise, so that specialist help is often not needed at all. If fewer young people end up in specialized youth care, we can shorten the waiting lists there. We want to ensure that we provide tailored assistance to families, effectively and in a timely manner, so that as many young people and their parents as possible are helped to grow up as happily as possible."
Eight teams
The first teams have started at locations that are sometimes still temporary in Seghwaert, Centrum/De Leyens, Buytenwegh, Palenstein/Dorp/Driemanspolder, Oosterheem, and Meerzicht. The local teams in Rokkeveen and Noordhove will start in the coming six months. The most up-to-date information about opening hours and locations can be found at www.meerpunt.nl.
