Mariëlle Bruning: No complete figures on waiting lists for youth care
The waiting lists in youth care are alarmingly long. This has been confirmed again by a study carried out by the Dutch foundation The Forgotten Child.
Long waiting lists have often been reported in the youth care system, particularly for the complex youth psychiatric care. But no comprehensive figures exist on how long these waiting lists exactly are. 'These are not structurally recorded. So the study by the Forgotten Child Foundation is important, even though it is relatively limited’, says Professor of Children and the Law Mariëlle Bruning in Dutch newspaper Trouw.
The conclusion comes as no surprise, Bruning says. Previous studies have shown that in the case of compulsory youth support, involving domestic violence for example, it can take around eight months before the juvenile court takes a decision and help is provided. 'And this doesn’t actually mean tailor-made care – that can take even longer.' She believes that the ten months referred to by the Forgotten Child Foundation are in line with the general picture.
In the article, Bruning also gives explanations for these long waiting lists in youth care and underlines the necessity for improvements.