No one seems responsible and you fall between the desks. That’s not chance, and you can break it.
“That’s not us, you need a different desk.” Hear that often enough and it seems no one is responsible.
That feeling is right, and it’s no coincidence. In the Netherlands, care and support are split across all sorts of laws and organisations that each look only at their own piece. No one is tasked with looking at your whole situation. That’s how you fall between the desks.
The good news: you can break this. Not by pushing harder, but by making sure someone takes responsibility and that it gets put in writing.
If you get a rejection or referral, ask: “then who IS responsible for this?” And have them put it in writing, with name and organisation. A paper trail makes pushing you onward much harder.
Ask whether someone can oversee your whole situation, instead of separate people per topic. At the municipality this could be a social support consultant or coordinator.
It’s free, knows the routes, and may liaise with the various desks on your behalf. So you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
The strongest thing that helps is one person who not only follows along, but may also cut through on your behalf across the desks. That’s what Zorgfuik argues for, and you can read more about it on its page.
It’s the most reported pattern within Zorgfuik. Read how it can be different under ownership with mandate, or share your experience so it becomes visible how often things go wrong between the desks.
Your story matters on its own. Together with others it shows exactly where the system breaks down. Anonymous is fine.
