Municipalities take steps toward citizen guardianship: 'human and close'

At Raadhuis De Paauw, the third meeting of the Network of Municipalities and Citizen Guardianship was held on Friday, September 19. Municipalities from all over the country came together to exchange experiences and ideas. They talked about how to stimulate and enable citizen guardianship, where someone from the network takes on guardianship instead of a professional.

Growing interest in citizen guardianship

Citizen guardianship concerns children and youth who do not grow up with their parents and are under the guardianship of a certified institution and live in a living group or family home. Instead of remote custody by varying professional guardians, citizen guardianship offers an alternative in which a personally involved adult assumes legal custody.

Citizen guardianship fits well with the idea of involving people from the immediate environment of children and families more actively. Interest is growing, especially now that municipalities are increasingly looking for people-oriented and sustainable solutions within youth protection. During the meeting it became clear: with good support and clear agreements, citizen guardianship is not only feasible, but also valuable.

Alderman Social Domain, Ritske Bloemendaal, opened the meeting and spoke outspokenly positive: "Citizen Guardianship is a close and low-threshold alternative for children who otherwise risk falling between two stools. It is a valuable addition to existing guardianship arrangements. Municipalities can play an important role in increasing awareness and stimulating this form of guardianship. I was therefore pleased to see that colleagues from all over the country were present; from the head of North Holland to Nijmegen."

Alderman Ritske Bloemendaal (Social Domain), surrounded by members of the Municipalities and Citizenship Network, on the steps of Council House De Paauw.

Practical tools for municipalities

The meeting offered concrete tools for municipalities: from organizing support for citizen guardians to removing financial barriers. Stories of experience and practical examples also showed how much impact a citizen guardian can have as a stable and trusted adult in a child's life.