Zoetermeer tightens youth care regulations
The Zoetermeer board wants more control over Youth Care and proposes to the municipal council to completely replace the outdated Youth Care regulation. In the new regulation, the municipal responsibility for youth care is more clearly defined. In addition, more demands are made on parents and education. "Not every child is the same and there is nothing wrong with that," says alderman Marijke van der Meer.
"Not every question needs to be solved by specialized youth care. We assume that many children can also be helped by lighter support in the normal life of a child. We want to avoid children being given a medical label at a young age as much as possible."
The costs for Youth Care threaten to rise to 100 million euros in 2025. "If we do not intervene, we as a municipality will have no other choice than to make drastic cuts to facilities that are important for all children, such as libraries, city farms, sports facilities and playgrounds."
Municipality of Zoetermeer wants good agreements with care providers about the terms within which care must be completed. In addition, Zoetermeer only wants young people to be eligible for individual care if it is really not possible to help them in a group. "Of course we ensure that there is the best possible appropriate care for young people who need it. In this way, we invest in a larger and better range of preventive care."
The municipal council is expected to make a decision on the proposed ordinance on April 2.
