The youth care office is a thorn in the side for many people. A lot has gone wrong in recent years, including unjustified out-of-home placements and failure to respond to care requests. The negativity surrounding BJZ in combination with the money flows that do not run smoothly has led to the government deciding to tackle BJZ thoroughly and to place financial responsibility on the municipalities from now on. As a result, BJZ is no longer the gateway to youth care.
What is the youth care agency?
Bureau Youth Care, abbreviated BJZ, is a healthcare institution that most people are familiar with. Negative stories about the youth care office in particular have been appearing more and more in recent years. BJZ is aimed at youth from 0 to 18 years old and offers both voluntary and mandatory assistance. In 2005, 15 youth care offices were established to carry out youth care tasks.
The Advice and Reporting Center for Child Abuse (AMK) falls under the youth care office. Reports can be made here if people suspect child abuse or neglect. The AMK then makes a home visit to the family to verify the report. BJZ is responsible for the Supervision Order (OTS) and guardianship arrangements (family guardian/guardian). An out-of-home placement (UHP) takes place on the indication of BJZ. The child is voluntarily but usually forcibly placed with family, in a care institution or a foster family. BJZ is also responsible for criminal measures.
Youth Care Office: one big chaos
In recent years, a lot has gone wrong at the youth care office. Reports of child abuse are shelved and not investigated or investigated too late. Unjustified reports are immediately accepted as fact even though no proper investigation has been conducted. In addition, there are families who beg for help but do not receive it. BJZ employees are under great pressure and no one seems able or willing to take responsibility. As a result, families have to deal with various counselors and reports that go nowhere and are sometimes full of untruths. Half of the Netherlands hates the youth care agency and employees are now too afraid to admit that they work for this agency.
Previously, BJZ received negative news coverage due to the death of the girl Savanna, who was found dead in her mother’s trunk. Savanna was removed from her home at the age of 1 due to neglect and abuse. After six months she was placed back with her mother. In 2004, Savanna was killed by suffocation at the age of 3. She was severely malnourished and abused. The family guardian, BJZ and AMK have failed badly. This led to unrest among BJZ employees. As a result, out-of-home placements were requested extremely frequently in the following years. These were often unjustified and both children and parents suffered as a result. many families fled to Belgium to escape the clutches of BJZ. BJZ has also previously been in the news due to abuse of power.
BJZ is overhauling
In 2009, it was assessed whether BJZ could fulfill its tasks. It has been shown that this is not the case. The financing flows diverge too far and there is insufficient cooperation between the various youth care chains. The youth care office is being overhauled. Initially this was supposed to happen by 2014, but this is a goal that is not feasible. From 2016, all municipalities are financially responsible for youth care tasks for residents within their own municipalities. The system change will be implemented from January 1, 2015. BJZ will no longer provide access to youth care, but will be transferred to CJG. CJG stands for Center for Youth and Family. Parents can go here for help, advice, support and questions about the upbringing and care of their child. CJG has various drop-in locations such as a primary school, childcare center or otherwise. The intention is that one plan is drawn up per family or child and not several, as has happened so far under BJZ. Municipalities are responsible for purchasing healthcare assistance for young people and their parents. BJZ can continue to play a role in this by providing care under clear financial conditions. The municipality in question then decides whether it wants to purchase this care or whether it prefers to work with another care provider.
Own power station
New in youth care is having your own power center without immediately calling in expensive and professional help. A family/child with problems can determine which people play an important role in life for him or her. This could be a teacher, the neighbor, the cleaner, a friend, aunt or anyone else. These persons are asked to cooperate in providing assistance to the child or family. The benefits are great: the family is helped with trusted people around them and the costs are much lower than calling in professional help or care. An independent Eigen Kracht coordinator organizes the Eigen Kracht conference, after which a plan is drawn up. A plan is drawn up in which control remains in the hands of the family/child and that gives a safe feeling. More and more municipalities are switching to this principle of care for young people and their families.