Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport 'tastes' of social work
Directors from the Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport saw first-hand on Friday 21 June how we - together with our partners - connect people with each other with activities and meeting places in the neighbourhood. How we encourage them to make their own choices and above all: to look after each other. 'People who feel good about themselves are more likely to help build a stronger neighbourhood or district', said our managing director Marieke Voogt during the visit.
Getting to know Flevoland
Several directors of the Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport visited initiatives in the field of public health, welfare and sports, which they do not deal with themselves on a daily basis, in small groups during 'Getting to know Flevoland day'. Welzijn Lelystad was visited by directors of the departments of financial economic affairs, curative care, the programme housing, support and care for the elderly and communication, organisational development and information policy.
Public Housing Fund
The directors saw in the Wold how homes have been refurbished and made more sustainable with subsidies from the Public Housing Fund. Centrada, Lelystad municipality, Welzijn Lelystad and residents work together to create neighbourhoods in which people feel safe and at home. In the Wold, for instance, welfare coach Anna Rijpsma and a resident consultant from Centrada went door-to-door to talk to residents. Not only about the work in the neighbourhood, but also about how they are doing. 'You only really see what's going on when you get behind the front door.'
Welfare on Recipe
The second part of the working visit focused on the cooperation between welfare and GPs. Welfare coaches have a large network within Lelystad. For instance, they are referred patients by GPs who are not feeling well. They have the time and space to visit people's homes and explore together what makes your life more meaningful. For some, that might be picking up an old hobby, while for others it might be having a coffee in the community room and socialising.
The result? Greater life happiness, delaying care needs and reducing the pressure on informal care. This approach also offers opportunities for intramural care (in a care institution), according to the study Eye for cooperation by Welzijn Lelystad and Woonzorg Flevoland.
Call to ministry
Good cooperation across domains was thus the theme of the working visit. But there was also a focus on the obstacles to this. Namely, municipalities have deficits and are going to make cuts instead of investments. For their part, health insurers may not pay for welfare work 'Think with us how welfare work can be financed now that municipalities are facing cutbacks.' That call was made by Marieke Voogt, director-director of Welzijn Lelystad. 'Social workers turn professional care back into 'care-for-each other' and are therefore indispensable in the ageing society that demands more and more care.'
