EUKN - Netherlands - Improving social participation of young delinquents: an integral approach

Improving social participation of young delinquents: an integral approach

Introduction

The comprehensive strategy with respect to youths aged between 12 and 23 years of age is part of the interactively created youth policy in Leeuwarden.

Problem

How can Youth Policy in Leeuwarden come up with a comprehensive strategy with respect to juvenile delinquents designed to include integrated assistance and the effort to get the youths socially involved?

Description

The common ground shared with other policy sectors such as safety, labour market, neighbourhood approach and urban regeneration, means that this project reaches far beyond the boundaries of the Department of Welfare and can as such be called an integral project. Civil servants themselves say that 'an integral approach is a result of interactive policy making'.

Approach

The comprehensive strategy has been developed interactively through being formulated in consultation with the entire work field. It is important that during the administration of the courses the institutions’ existing supply is used. Where necessary, this supply is supplemented and adapted to the demand.
This administrative network (RMC core team) is assisted by a policy structure with consequences for the standing organisations in the field of policy and management, tasks and financing. The RMC core team is assigned with the task of making a complete analysis of the youth issue, making pre diagnoses, giving indications and setting up courses at external partners (for example, care and treatment of drug addicts, Work and Income courses and training).

Results

Experience in integral working and the local authorities have demonstrated they can form an important link between various institutions.
Objectives are measurable, ambitious and clearly formulated. Ninety percent of the juvenile delinquents are now in scope. More than eighty percent (143 of the 173) of the youths who were known to be delinquents have reported (or been reported) to the RMC core team.
The large majority of the youths (75%) are on combination courses providing training, assistance, care and treatment of drug addicts and/or work.
Twenty-one percent of the youths are now re-participating in society, in other words they are fully independent and no longer on any sort of programme.

Financing

In total, the realisation of a comprehensive strategy with respect to youths in the age category 12 - 23 years cost NLG 1,129,000. This includes both the cost of the project and the usual means which were used for the project. Early School-Leaving funds were also employed to make financing possible.

Contact info

City of Leeuwarden
Claire de Jong, tel. +31 58 2338126

Project start date

18/07/2001

Links

City of Leeuwarden (in Dutch)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Integration of social groups

Keywords

Young people