Social support of young people during and after residential youth care in the Netherlands: The role of the family, care workers, and residential group

In the Netherlands, about 25,000 young people with emotional and behavioral problems stay in residential youth care every year. Government policy has been aimed at avoiding out-of-home placement in general and residential youth care in particular for decades, but has had limited success in reducing the number of children placed in care. This chapter provides an overview of the social support needs of young people in Dutch residential youth care, including the support they receive. Based on the literature, it investigates whether and in what way parents and other family members are a source of support for young people during their stay, and how professionals can effectively promote this. The same question will be addressed regarding care workers/mentors in their one-on-one contact with young people: How can they best provide support? It also examines the facilitating qualities of the social group climate, which can be seen as a basis for more specific forms of support. Finally, it examines the post-RYC period, i.e. the need for social support among former residents and the importance of departure preparation and aftercare services.