From paper to practice: a journey towards integrated care for youth at-risk and their families

Abstract

Youth care in the Netherlands is under pressure, particularly the care provided to young people whose behavior poses a risk to themselves or others. In her PhD research, Laura Veerman investigates how integrated care for youth at-risk with multiple severe problems — such as unsafe home situations, mental health issues, and school dropout — is shaped in everyday practice. In many cases, multiple professionals and organizations are involved in providing that care. As a result, youth at-risk and their families often experience the support system as fragmented, inconsistent, and unpredictable. This can further escalate existing problems.

Veerman used an action research approach, in which researchers, professionals, policymakers, and a youth representative worked together to implement knowledge directly into practice. The main conclusion is that integrated care does not automatically improve simply by bringing all parties together in a new multidisciplinary team. Particularly in crisis situations, collaboration, trust, and shared responsibility prove to be highly vulnerable. Good care requires familiar faces for youth at-risk and the professionals involved: professionals with different areas of expertise who have the time and space for joint reflection and who represent organizations that continue to share responsibility, even under pressure.