Future-proof help for those affected by the benefits affair
Future-proof help for those affected by the benefits affair
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Friday, May 31, 2024
Recent years have shown that broad support for parents and children is an essential part of their recovery and being able to make a fresh start.
Municipalities find it crucial that all those affected - (possibly) affected parents, their children, recognized former allowance partners and relatives - can make use of the broad support now and in the future. Last quarter, together with parents, municipalities, the VNG, stakeholders, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, we explored the main bottlenecks and how to perpetuate the broad support for parents and young people. The 17th progress report on recovery operation surcharges, published today, presents the results of this exploration and the principles for future-proof comprehensive support.
Parents, municipalities and the government note that broad support is under pressure. The financial recovery is taking a long time and more (possible) victims have come forward than expected. Parents and young people experience differences in broad support and sometimes have to deal with waiting times. They indicate that they need clarity about the structure and duration of the broad support.
Municipalities note that the long duration of processing the financial recovery process leads to many, recurring and complex requests for help. Furthermore, municipalities note that they are not able to get around to the real request for help from parents and children, because the conversation is often about material benefits in kind. As a result, not all parents, their children and other affected people receive the help they seek in a timely manner.
Principles: future-proof broad support
A simple, optimal solution for the identified bottlenecks is not available. Continuing along the same path is also not desirable. Together, we explored how more clarity can be provided to those affected and how to overcome the identified bottlenecks so that the broad support can be set up in a future-proof way. The starting point is that parents, their children and other people affected receive timely and appropriate help (broad support). That they know whether, and if so what, material benefits in kind they receive if they are necessary to make a fresh start and how long the broad support lasts as much as possible. Based on these principles, regulations will be jointly developed in the coming period to provide future-proof broad support. We do this based on the following principles:
- Broad support remains customized help for parents, their children, recognized former benefit partners and relatives. In this way, the individual situation and specific support needs for municipalities will continue to lead to the use of the help. In this way, municipalities will continue to have the opportunity to offer customized solutions. Inherent in this is that certain differences in support also remain. The situation of each parent, young person, recognized former allowance partner and survivor is different and so is the need. The help provided is always (mandatory) included in a motivated plan of action;
- Clarity is provided about providing material facilities - items - within broad support. By determining within six months of the first interview which material benefits in kind are part of the plan of action and are necessary to make a fresh start;
- Clarity will be provided about completing the broad support as soon as a parent, young person, recognized former allowance partner or survivor has been able to make a fresh start, but at least within 2 years of formally establishing the plan of action (the decision);
- Municipalities see that the psychosocial problems and trauma processing of affected parents and children require specialized expertise and capacity. In the coming period, we will therefore investigate at the national level whether there are opportunities to additionally organize specialized expertise and assistance nationally for the target group.
These principles are enshrined in a national regulation. This includes an exception clause to deviate from the aforementioned periods of six months and two years in dire and unforeseen cases. If help appears necessary after the broad support has ended, a warm transfer to regular municipal assistance takes place, for example if continued financial support is needed or in the case of (outpatient) care by indication.
In the coming period, work will continue with parents, the state and municipalities to develop this future-proof broad support. The aim is to have the regulation, which adjusts the deadlines for the duration of material benefits in kind and maximum duration of comprehensive support, come into force in the autumn. Until then, the broad support will remain as it is today.
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