Youth and Family Programme

In June 2007, the Youth and Family Programme was published. The Youth and Family Programme 'Every Opportunity for Every Child (2007–2011)' represents a new approach by the Dutch government. One that uses coordination, cooperation and a focus on common outcomes for the benefit of all children and their families.

Preconditions
The programme clearly states the preconditions for the development of all children, which should be the guideline for everyone working with children, both privately and professionally:

1. Healthy upbringing: physical and mental well-being, healthy lifestyle, continuity in upbringing and care.
2. Safe upbringing: security, unconditional love, respect, attention, boundaries, structure and regularity, a safe home (free from violence, mistreatment and sexual abuse) and a safe outdoor environment.
3. Contributing to society: social engagement, contributing ideas and taking part, active involvement in the local community, positive attitude and citizenship.
4. Developing talents and having fun: being educated or trained, the opportunity to pursue hobbies: sport, culture and leisure, and freedom to play.
5. Being properly prepared for the future: obtaining a qualification, finding employment, the capacity to earn a living, access to a stimulating environment.

Strategies
The government’s new programme will consist of three strategies, seeking to confirm and support the family’s natural role in bringing up children. It will focus on prevention by identifying and tackling problems earlier and imposing binding commitments to all stakeholders working with children and families.

• Growing up is something you do in a family
  Families are important to society. Most children are raised in a family. A family is defined as ‘any unit consisting of one or more adults who are responsible for raising and caring for one or more children.’ Families come in many forms: some consist of several children, others of only one, some have one parent or two, others combine children from previous relationships, some children are brought up by grandparents or foster parents.
  In all these families, adults raise children and provide them with a secure environment. They impart key values and norms, create an atmosphere of reciprocal care and consideration, and facilitate personal development and recreation. To do all this, parents need sufficient time, resources and skills.
  The government is promoting this through a family-friendly policy. Not only does a properly functioning family provide a stable background for children, it also makes a positive contribution to society, schools and neighbourhoods.
  
  
• Focus on prevention: identifying and tackling problems earlier
  The need for specialist support for children has continued to rise in recent years. The demand has increased for provincial youth care services, special education, mental health care and care for children with moderate learning difficulties, and so has the number of young people applying for disability benefit. Delinquents are also getting younger.
  The problems of children and families must be detected and addressed as early as possible, to prevent them from becoming more serious when they grow older. Essentially, this calls for a focus on prevention. Early identification, and above all, early intervention.
  
  
• Binding commitments
  Solving the problems of children and families requires input from many different stakeholders: parents, professionals, agencies and young people themselves.
  Undesirable situations cannot be allowed to continue. Everyone must take responsibility if there are signs that a child or family is in difficulty. Simply monitoring the situation, providing an ad hoc response or even turning a blind eye is no longer acceptable.

Integrated services
The policy document of the Ministry for Youth and Families is an ambitious strategy based on nine priority areas. In 'Every Opportunity for Every Child' these priorities are described in result-oriented terms and activities. Through this policy document new and better integrated services will be introduced, for example:

• Youth and Family Centres
  These centres will be set up in every municipality. Every centre will offer basic preventive youth policy services, youth health care and parenting support. They will be easily accessible for parents and children.
  
  
• Youth Monitor
  The youth monitor will present data about children and young people in the Netherlands and provide a coherent view of the state of Dutch children. Key indicators will introduce an overview of domains such as population, education, health, justice and labour. Many of these indicators can be subdivided into municipal and provincial data, and classified according to cultural background.

More information
You can download the programme here:

• Every opportunity for Every child (complete)
• Every opportunity for Every child (summery)