Researchers advise: 'Don't stop helping young people as soon as they turn 18'

UG researchers Daan Beltman and Elianne Zijlstra and Annemiek Harder of Erasmus University recommend removing the age limit for youth care from the Youth Act. This would prevent young people in youth care who turn 18 from ending up on the streets.

Young people staying in residential care who turn 18 and do not qualify for extended youth care, must leave youth care no later than their 18th birthday, as they will no longer be covered by the Youth Act. Elianne Zijlstra: 'Thousands of young people thus run a high risk of becoming homeless, because care is no longer provided. Turning eighteen is not a time for celebration for these young people.' As a result, the young adults have to live on their own instantly. 

Compared to young people who grow up with their parents, that is relatively young. On average, young people in the Netherlands leave home around 23.7. 'Given the background of these young people, they often have a burdened past and little social network, it is also more complicated for them to make the step to independence,' Zijlstra adds. 

Base support on developmental age

Research shows that young people before and after leaving residential youth care often still have various problems and need protection and support even after they turn 18. Annemiek Harder: 'In this paper, we describe from an educational and legal perspective the need to support young people even after they turn 18. In doing so, we underpin the plea to remove the age limit from the Youth Act.'

There is international consensus among scholars that the transition to independence of young people in youth care should be gradual. In doing so, that support should be based on young people's 'developmental age' and needs, rather than simply their biological age. Each young person develops towards independence at their own pace.

From a legal perspective, the main finding of the study is that international law, as, among other, expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, did not intend for an age limit to be used in the Youth Act and regulations. Daan Beltman: ‘This means that the Dutch legislator can remove the age limit from the Youth Act without violating international law.’

More information

Researchers Mr Daan Beltman, RUG, Prof Annemiek Harder, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Dr Elianne Zijlstra RUG have prepared a paper 'The need to prevent harm among young people aged 18+ who have to leave residential youth care: An interdisciplinary scientific rationale' for preventing young people aged 18+ from leaving residential youth care (dutch).