Waarom jeugdzorg worstelt met deze 'onhandelbare' kinderen | Zembla

Municipalities are sounding the alarm about a group of young people considered ‘unmanageable’ and for whom there is no place in youth care in the Netherlands. In recent years, hundreds of them have been placed out of necessity at campsites, holiday parks, or other temporary locations, where they are supervised day and night. This is revealed by research conducted by Zembla. In some cases, the costs of these emergency solutions run into hundreds of thousands or even a million euros per child per year. Municipalities call this form of isolation undesirable but state that there is often no alternative within the current youth care system. In this video, Zembla investigates young people who are being moved from place to place within youth care. For years, closed youth care was considered a last resort, but following earlier revelations about abuses, it was decided to phase out this form of care. The phasing out of closed youth care, which must be completed by 2030 at the latest, is proceeding rapidly, while suitable alternatives are lagging behind. As a result, care providers and youth protection officers are frequently faced with the choice of temporarily placing young people in holiday homes, chalets, or apartments, with intensive one-on-one supervision that is continuously present. Until recently, the frequency of these so-called single placements in youth care was unknown. For the first time, the extent of this form of youth care in the Netherlands has been mapped by Zembla, which contacted all Dutch municipalities. Based on the responses, a conservative estimate was made of nearly 400 single placements over the past three years. The actual number is expected to be higher. Municipalities often consider this information sensitive and do not systematically register this form of youth care. Research among a group of young people who received one-on-one supervision shows how these trajectories unfold in practice. Some young people remain in isolation for months or longer, while daytime activities or appropriate treatment are lacking. At the same time, the costs of these youth care trajectories run high due to the deployment of permanent supervision, sometimes involving multiple care providers per young person. Municipalities indicate that these arrangements place a heavy financial burden on their budgets and that their effectiveness is in question. The growth of this form of youth care has led to an increase in care providers focusing on intensive individual guidance. Municipalities often state that they are dependent on these providers due to the shortage of places in youth care. At the same time, the isolation of young people is viewed by the parties involved as detrimental to their development, partly because they have limited contact with the outside world and become highly dependent on their supervisors. The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate previously determined that the intensive supervision and monitoring of young people can be considered highly restrictive of their freedom. In some cases, permission from a judge is required for this. Recent intervention by the court underscores the legal and substantive questions raised by this practice of single placements in youth care. Using the story of 17-year-old ‘Lex’, Zembla shows how young people get stuck in the youth care system. He was placed in out-of-home care at a young age and moved multiple times between various institutions and emergency solutions. Care providers describe their search for appropriate care and the dilemmas they face in a youth care system where solutions are not always available. Response from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport: https://fa7t2bwvxb1.b-cdn.net/493tg6o... Response from the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate: https://fa7t2bwvxb1.b-cdn.net/47uzrer... The letter from 'Lex': https://www.bnnvara.nl/zembla/artikel... 00:00 What is the video about? 01:02 Youth care whistleblower raises alarm 08:53 Why is there no answer to the request for help from 'unmanageable' children? 15:40 The role of the municipality 19:36 Where have the children from closed youth care gone? 25:50 Young people living on campsites, holiday parks, or other temporary locations 29:02 Experts sound the alarm 30:26 The future of 'Lex' Compilation and direction: Elena Lindemans Research: Jan Salden Final editing: Roelof Bosma Listen to our investigative stories on our podcast: Spotify podcast: https://spoti.fi/2UBbCQ6 Apple podcast: https://apple.co/3wVX4ZA Follow us here as well: Instagram:   / zembla_bnnvara   Facebook:   / zembla.tv   Twitter:   / zembla   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zembla-bnnva... LinkedIn:   / zembla-bnnvara   TikTok:   / zembla_bnnvara