transforming in the social realm: why this requires attention now
what does this mean for residents?
Ultimately, transformation in the social domain is not about systems — it’s about people. About residents who need the right support at the right time, without being sent from one service desk to another. Effective collaboration and shared direction make a real difference in their daily lives.
For different target groups, we see specific issues recurring, such as:
- Families and young people who receive support too late — or only through intensive interventions — when earlier and lighter support could have prevented much of the escalation.
- Residents facing multiple, complex issues who are confronted with numerous professionals and regulations, without clear coordination or cohesion.
- Vulnerable young people transitioning into adulthood, where support often becomes fragmented.
- Children and families in neighbourhoods where education, welfare, and care services do not naturally come together.
- Residents who remain dependent on support for extended periods, when the focus should be on development and self-reliance
For these residents, transformation means that support is provided earlier, more in tune with their needs, and in a more coordinated way. This requires all societal actors in the social domain to work together across organisational boundaries. In this, the municipality plays a key role — as commissioner, facilitator, and coordinator.
Where do we see opportunities?
In practice, we see that many municipalities have clear ambitions for the social domain, but find it challenging to realise these ambitions sustainably together with their partners. Common questions we encounter include:
- How can we work together towards a shared long-term direction and shape our partnership accordingly?
- How do we translate social goals into concrete agreements and decisions?
- How do we ensure coherence between vision, policy, commissioning, and implementation?
- How do we maintain direction and oversight while working from a foundation of trust and partnership?
- How do we keep momentum in the transformation without over-regulating everything?
Without a clear, shared direction and concrete agreements, there is a risk that transformation stalls in isolated initiatives, pilots, or temporary projects. Real change, however, requires a long-term perspective, shared responsibility, mutual trust, and consistent action.
What does it take to transform together?
We see that successful transformation in the social domain requires several key elements:
- A shared vision of what the transformation means (and delivers!) for residents, professionals and organisations
- Clear commissioning: what does the municipality expect from its partners, and what can they expect in return?
- Collaboration based on trust, with room to learn and make adjustments along the way
- Coherence between strategy and implementation — from regional vision and policy to commissioning, governance, and day-to-day practice
- A learning-oriented approach, where experiences from the field are genuinely used to inform and improve practice
Our approach
EHdK supports municipalities and societal partners in shaping this shared movement. We help translate ambitions into a clear direction, strategic choices, and practical agreements that contribute to lasting change. In doing so, we ensure that ambitions are turned into concrete actions — and we help strengthen collaboration across the field.
Our efforts include:
- Developing (regional) visions and strategic documents that provide direction for the transformation
- Facilitating strategic commissioning and collaboration processes, with a focus on the long term
- Strengthening collaboration within the network — between municipalities, care providers, welfare organisations, education, and other societal partners
- Supporting governance and collaboration challenges, with partnership at the core
- Supporting commissioners in making clear choices about direction, flexibility, and responsibility
We always work in collaboration with stakeholders in the field, because transformation can only succeed when it is collectively supported.
Examples of projects
EHdK has extensive experience with transformation challenges in a variety of contexts, including:
- Preparation and guidance of the commissioning process for highly specialised and ambulatory youth care in the Groningen youth care region, with explicit focus on transformation
- Development of an integrated Regional Vision for the Social Domain for the municipalities in the Kop van Noord-Holland, including programme plans for implementation
- Strengthening the role of education as a key player in the neighbourhood — focused on prevention and avoiding the need for more intensive support — in Capelle aan den IJssel
- Facilitation of a national programme focused on establishing joint agreements within the framework of the Reform Agenda
- Supporting around twenty youth care regions — commissioned by the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) and the regions themselves — in developing regional commissioning strategies for Youth Care, the Social Support Act (Wmo), and the Participation Act.
- Supporting WIJ Eindhoven within the framework of the Deltaplan, with the aim of strengthening local access to support services.
- Translating policy goals into concrete implementation plans, in collaboration with societal partners in the social domain, commissioned by the municipality of Texel.
- Insight into waiting list issues and development pathways for small-scale day centres for young people with severe disabilities in the Zuid-Kennemerland and IJmond region.
More?
Would you like to explore what EHdK could mean for your organisation on this theme? Get in touch with our colleague Sofia Rapsaniotis.