Social Domain Policy Framework 2024-2028

1.1 Social Domain Policy Framework

Before you is the Social Domain policy framework. This policy framework describes how the municipality regulates the support of its residents to function independently and participate in society for as long as possible. This includes Wmo, youth and participation, but also, for example, volunteers, subsidies, education, culture, prevention,
poverty and debt, sports, health and integration. A complete overview of all laws the social domain works with can be found in Appendix 2.
We have chosen to base the policy framework on positive health. We start from what the person can do and offer help where necessary. Health is a public value to which parties in the municipality, district and neighborhood will contribute. This is done by the residents themselves, but also by health professionals, voluntary organizations, companies and the government. This collaboration can be seen in the area team and the neighborhood teams.
In this policy framework we show that attention continues to be paid to the important issues in the social domain and that the ambitions to improve and innovate are still paramount. The following policies will be drafted in 2024 and are part of this policy framework:

• Cultural Policy;
• Volunteer Policy;
• Grant framework;
• Integrated Housing Plan (IHP);
• Community Homes Policy;
• Regional Integrated Debt Relief Policy Plan 2024-2027.

The program budget provides annual insight into what the budgets within the Social Domain will be spent on.
The world, our country and also our region are constantly changing. Major social developments are occurring. Such as aging and longer independent living at home, the increasing importance of the social and informal network, a broader view of health, an increase in poverty, the desire for an inclusive society, attention to broad prosperity and the scale of the Brainport region. Developments that are interrelated and with major consequences for society and our municipality of Gemert-Bakel.
Responding to these movements requires making choices, cleverly combining tasks and management. In Gemert-Bakel we have therefore chosen to tackle the challenges that face us programmatically. To this end, the programs Service and Organization, Futureproof Rural Area, Vital Core and Solid Social Base have been drawn up. This policy framework is part of the Solid Social Base Program. The concrete efforts to be taken up in the program can be found in the program plan that accompanies the program. The Solid Social Base Program thus encompasses more than just the (Policy Framework) Social Domain. Tasks in the program are addressed integrally and cross-team.

1.2 Reading Guide

Chapter two describes a brief review of the policy period 2019-2023. Chapter three describes a number of developments in society and local signals and needs picked up in consultations with our partners in the social domain. Chapter four lists the vision, mission, principles and our working method. Chapter five outlines the four themes on which we will focus in the coming policy period: prevention, participation, independent living for longer and strengthening (in)formal networks. Chapter six describes what else we are doing in the social domain. Finally, in chapter seven we discuss a number of laws and how we implement them locally.

Together, with all our partners, we were able to accomplish a lot in the 2019- 2023 policy period. A complete picture of everything we realized is therefore impossible to list. Below we look back at some of the key events and developments in the social domain during this period.

Local

The village supporters are employed by the Stichting Dorpsondersteuning Gemert-Bakel. The board of the Foundation is formed by a delegation of the care working groups, the Care Collective Gemert and the municipality. In this way, employment is guaranteed and the village supporters can independently and autonomously fulfill their role as village supporters; with the necessary uniformity and in their own way that suits the needs of the villages. The team of Village Supporters has now been
expanded with a youth village supporter.

Team youth has strengthened with the arrival of youth counselors specializing in autism, for example, as well as a behavioral scientist. Over the years
they started to focus more and more on prevention. Youth work has become employed by the municipality and there is an information point Samen/Scheiden
where residents receive support and advice from a youth consultant and a financial expert from Lumens.

The COVID-19 pandemic played a major role for two years. Services
within the social domain continued, as best they could and with adjustments. In the middle of this period, as of January 2021, Lumens became our social partner in the areas of welfare work, debt assistance and refugee work. In a short time they have become a reliable partner and have managed to find their way in the formal and informal network in Gemert-Bakel.

The effects of COVID-19 are becoming more and more visible: in caseloads (loneliness, depression, etc.), in participation in social activities and volunteering. In addition to the consequences of COVID-19, new unforeseen developments such as the energy crisis and inflation ensure that a portion of our residents are (financially) struggling or at risk of being squeezed. This means that we need to take this into account in the updated policy framework.

Regional

GR Senzer is from 2016 the joint work company for the implementation of the
Participation Act for 7 municipalities, including Gemert-Bakel. An evaluation in 2020 shows that GR Senzer is a well-performing work company but that developments in the regional labor market, cooperation in the social domain and changes in laws and regulations require the following:

• Sharpening positioning of Senzer;
• Updating the GR Senzer;
• A reassessment of the funding system.

In the period 2020-2023, this was realized. One of the agreements within the
updated GR Senzer is that Senzer draws up a Service Provision Multiyear Plan every four years. The Medium-term Service Plan 2025-2028 "People-oriented Services and integral regional cooperation" has now been adopted by the general board of GR Senzer.

Since 2017, we have been part of the Joint Regulation Peelgemeenten (GR Peelgemeenten). A partnership in the social domain. Together, a course agenda 2021-2024 has been drawn up with the heading: 'Working Together by Working Together'. Across organizational boundaries, task-oriented and programmatic collaboration on five tasks: normalization, inspired collaboration around the resident, business collaboration around the resident, data-driven work and excellent
employership.

We participate in Peel Duurzaam Gezond, a network of healthcare institutions, municipalities, health insurers and citizen initiatives. Peel Duurzaam Gezond is committed to a vital and healthy Peel region, in which the ideas of positive health are central. The Peel municipalities and Helmond are joining on behalf of the regional municipalities. A regional picture has been created and there is cooperation on the Integral Care Agreement and to direct region on
the themes of the Healthy and Active Living Agreement. When this requires local development we do this as much as possible in the local way of working, neighborhood and village-oriented and invite people to join existing (informal) networks and with expansion or intensification of existing initiatives where possible.

3.1 Developments in society

Dutch society is constantly changing and therefore regularly faces new challenges. These trends and developments also occur in Gemert-Bakel. Therefore, they are the background for this policy framework. Some of these developments are explained below.

First, the demand for and supply of support from the municipality, organizations and residents is changing. For example, the Dutch population is aging, with an expected 2 million over-75s by 2030. This group is also growing in Gemert-Bakel. According to the population forecast of the province of Brabant 2023, there will be more than 900 people over 75 until 2030. This leads to an increase in the use of facilities for social support and care, for example due to dementia. At the same time, this also causes a decrease in the number of informal caregivers and volunteers. Also, the group of people, both young and old, with support needs in multiple
areas. These multi-users benefit from an integrated approach from us and our partners, where the support addresses different problems at the same time. Our approach is based on positive health. The positive health approach revolves around what people need in the broad sense to cope with all of life's challenges. These include physical, mental and social challenges. The principle of positive health also focuses on prevention. We put this thinking at the heart of our implementation.

In the area of youth, education and the development of children and young people, we see that support and assistance requests are becoming more complex. Today's society makes high demands and creates increased social pressure. Think of the increased digitalization, the constant influence of social media and the image of a "makeable society" that is being created around this, increasing illiteracy,
divorce issues, etc. All of this ensures that groups that cannot keep up are falling behind.

There is also a larger group of people who are structurally short of money or even living in poverty. Too many households can no longer pay bills due to inflation or high energy bills, for example. As a result, they cannot participate fully in society. These people have no basis under their existence and depend on schemes that support subsistence security. This greatly affects their daily functioning and health.

Greater reliance is being placed on the self-reliance and own strength of people and society to cope with these developments. In this way, the system remains affordable and reduces the demand for support. From self-reliant to self-reliant. In Gemert-Bakel we have been working this way for a long time. The informal network around our resident is well organized. There are many great initiatives by residents to support each other or to meet each other. However, a part of the people cannot rely on their own strength (yet). This may be because they do not have a social network, do not know how to find support or
because government communication is too complicated or unclear for them. Therefore, there are still challenges to find appropriate solutions as a society and as a municipality. Some people will need permanent support.

3.2 Local signals and need

The social domain works closely with (core) partners. It conducts structural consultations with the various partners:

• Lumens
• Good Living
• Care Arch
• GGD
• Senzer
• GR Peelgemeenten
• Village Support Foundation
• Neighborhood Teams
• Work and Income Client Council
• The healthcare working groups
• The village councils
• The care collective and CBE
• Education
• GPs
• Library
• Leergeld Foundation

From these consultations it emerges that attention should be paid to, among other things:

• Mental and physical health, lifestyle;
• Prevention, be it (silent) poverty, health in the broadest sense, for young and old;
• Accessibility;
• Normalize;
• Attention to habitat design and new neighborhoods;
• Sufficient facilities in all villages to maintain livability;
• Housing and care; clustering, other housing options;
• Accessible health care;
• Strengthen cooperation, look across borders;
• Provide guidance for employment that is as regular and sustainable as possible;
• Maintaining the human touch in service delivery;
• Ensuring an inclusive labor market.

Input from our partners has been incorporated into this policy framework.

4.1 Vision and mission

Key text: Vision: Everyone can participate (again). No one falls between the cracks.

This is our vision and shows what we stand for. Everyone in Gemert-Bakel can participate and develop within their capabilities and contribute to society. This has a positive effect on people's well-being and health. Everyone matters, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, culture and background.

Key Text: Mission: A caring society where people look out for each other. Control over one's own life and support where needed.

What do we want to achieve? A caring society in Gemert-Bakel, in which it is
self-evident that we take responsibility for our own lives, that we are in control as much as possible and that we are willing to help each other.
A society in which the municipality supports people for whom this is not self-evident. We continue to provide care for the most vulnerable people in our municipality.

4.2 Principles and method

The following four principles are used in the execution of the tasks of the municipality of Gemert-Bakel:

• No one falls between the lines;
• Implementation will take place within task-setting budgets;
• Services to residents are demand-oriented and organized from the area team;
• We work together in the villages with the neighborhood teams.

Within the municipality of Gemert-Bakel, together with our partners, we work in the following way:

As close as possible

Resident-centered; we work demand-oriented

As a municipality, we design our services from the demand of our residents. This is not so much the first question that is asked but the so-called "question behind the question" that indicates the actual need for self-direction and possibilities of self-reliance of the resident. Residents themselves often know best what is a possible solution to their problem. In addition, demand-oriented work also ensures a targeted effective approach. Because questions and possible solutions come from the bottom up, they are also supported by the residents and the organizations involved.

Village and neighborhood approach

In Gemert-Bakel we work in an area-oriented manner in the areas of housing, participation/working, welfare and care and safety, divided over the 7 villages in our municipality. The experience of recent years shows that the implementation is much more effective if the request of residents for support is taken up close to the resident and on a small scale. In addition, much less administrative involvement is then needed. We will continue to do this, this way we can tackle problems quickly and adequately.

Service is paramount

Our commitment is and remains to address and resolve all questions from residents. We do not set up an extensive registration system for this, but respond adequately to signals to prevent questions from falling between the cracks. Signals are dealt with immediately, even if this means that professionals must look beyond the boundaries of their own work and organization. Professionals are expected to feel responsible for the resident.

Preventive and integral

Preventive

The challenges we face in the future call for a more preventive approach. For example, we promote a healthy lifestyle in order to promote health, reduce the
reduce the burden of disease, contribute to a safe and promising upbringing that in time reduces the demand for care. Preventing the development of debts, early signaling, tackling low literacy, combating loneliness, investing in support services, normalizing and stimulating exercise and meeting in public spaces are also part of this.

Integral

We look at our task integrally and look for each other in cooperation with the informal and formal network within the social domain.
In addition, we are working more explicitly with the physical domain to achieve better coherence between spatial and social developments.

Working programmatically

Solid social base

In 2023, programmatic work was initiated within the municipality. Four programs have been set up, with a program leader for each program to guide the achievement of goals. Programs help us achieve goals and bring about change in complex tasks. We use them to approach the goals with the right focus, energy, structure and coherence. Especially now that major tasks are upon us. For the social domain, these tasks are (in no particular order):

• Living independently at home longer;
• Strengthen informal network;
• Positive health;
• Poverty is not increasing;
• Broad prosperity and the jump in scale;
• Inclusive society.

These six tasks are elaborated in the chapter below within four themes.
As a municipality, we cannot tackle these tasks alone; we can only do so together. In order to guarantee a strong social basis in our municipality, we work together with the inhabitants of the villages and the users of facilities, so that together we can continue to make things possible. We also coordinate with our partners and (organized) residents to ensure that policy and implementation are attuned to the needs and wishes in the villages and neighborhoods.
Our residents and their living environment are inseparable. The own strength, the social network of our residents and a community that cares for each other are central.

5. What are we betting on?

Based on four themes, it becomes clear what we will focus on in the coming period. These themes arise from discussions with our partners and signals from residents, but also from the government. Because the policy framework works over years, concrete goals, figures and required finances are incorporated in the budget.

Theme 1: Prevention

Prevention is better than cure. Whether it's encouraging healthier lifestyles, promoting that financial help is sought and offered before debts arise, ensuring that people find and keep jobs, our youth can grow up healthy and safe, or a course in fall prevention when the elderly become less mobile. If we want to keep the self-reliance of residents high and the costs in the social domain manageable, then working preventively is the best option.

Youth

We strive to ensure that our youth can grow up healthy and safe in our municipality. We do this through a preventive youth policy, by focusing on cooperation with education, to ensure guidance from school to work through cooperation between Participation Act, WMO and Youth Act, connecting to areas such as sports and culture. We organize a comprehensive network focused on young people and families. The youth consultant is the local access point for residents and professionals should there be questions or concerns about the upbringing of children. In the local network, the youth consultants from the area team work together with general practitioners, youth doctors and neighborhood teams. Where necessary, the connection with the safety chain is made. In the coming years we will work towards normalization, so that the child can grow up as close as possible, prevention where possible and the use of youth care where necessary. The youth team is based on various fields of expertise, which enables the team to provide assistance without the need for a decision. The youth team has strengthened itself with consultants with a specialism, including autism, and a behavioral scientist. Help is offered briefly where possible, but the counselor can also be involved for a long time if necessary. Solutions are solved as much as possible within the existing structures, but where this does not offer sufficient solace, customization is offered. Besides the local approach, within youth there is a strong formalized national and regional influence on implementation. We follow the developments regarding the Youth Reform Agenda with the aim of translating it to our local situation. Regionally, we are affiliated with the GR Peel, procurement region Een Tien voor de Jeugd and where necessary we cooperate at the level of the region of 21-for-the-youth in Southeast Brabant.

Youth Work

Youth work is part of the area team. The youth workers are safety netters; through a preventive and active attitude toward the young people, they build a unique relationship of trust. As a result, youth work picks up more young people who would otherwise remain "under the radar" or have fallen out of care elsewhere. Youth work shapes this signaling function with a place-based, proactive work attitude. In addition, signals are shared with other professionals in a timely manner. In order to be able to signal broadly, we will further integrate youth work in the area team in the coming years. The youth workers work according to an implementation plan divided into the components:

• itinerant work;
• individual counseling;
• accommodation-oriented work;
• online youth work;
• educate/inform young people.

Partly because of COVID-19, combating loneliness among young people is a specific focus. The youth worker is the pivot in the web to connect from the young person to all parties around the young person. In addition, the youth worker can identify trends that give cause to take up a theme more collectively. The village support foundation has been expanded with a village youth supporter, who specifically in the field of youth makes connections with the local informal network and the questions of inhabitants.

Local Sports and Prevention Agreement: Good Busy Gemert-Bakel

With the prevention agreement and exercise agreement Goed Bezig Gemert-Bakel we give inhabitants the opportunity to take initiatives which contribute to health and/or more exercise. For the new broad SPUK a Healthy and Active Living Agreement has been set up and we are implementing the programs that we jointly take up within it. We make connections on a local and regional level between parties and interventions. From Goed Bezig Gemert-Bakel we work on the following themes:

Participating in society; exercise for different target groups

• Countering loneliness;
• Social cohesion, connection and local cooperation;
• Connecting school and sports more;
• A sustainable infrastructure with vital sports providers
• Healthy diet and exercise;
• Prevention of smoking, alcohol and other drugs;
• Resilience;
• Healthy Environment.

Early detection of financial problems

Inflation, high energy prices, expensive groceries, we all have to deal with it. However, more households are running into financial problems as a result. Benefit recipients with children, in particular, lack a considerable amount of money every month. We focus on helping people find work, convinced that work can contribute to a stable financial situation and to solving or preventing debts. These include the working poor, the elderly with only a state pension or an incomplete state pension and young people. They are also less familiar with municipal services or do not know their way around. In addition, people are embarrassed about money problems and ask for help too late. It is therefore important that people seek timely solutions when they can no longer make ends meet. Because not everyone can do this themselves, attention must be paid to prevention and early signaling. With our village- and neighborhood-oriented approach, these signals are quickly picked up and together with our social partners, including Lumens, Senzer, Goed Wonen, tenants' interests, ZCG and KBO, we will continue our activities in the coming years. We will focus on specific target groups, such as youth and young people, low-literate people and status holders, and on early signaling for payment arrears in rent, energy, water and healthcare costs, and we will offer budget coaching and income management in the form of guardianship or budget management. In addition, in the coming years we will organize budget courses to improve the financial self-sufficiency of all residents; this will also make us more visible and ensure that residents who need it know where to find us.

Healthy and active living

We would like to see residents of Gemert-Bakel healthy and vital, both physically and mentally. Together we provide the conditions for residents to make healthy choices for themselves and others. A strong social basis is a prerequisite for working towards the goals of the GALA. The interventions from the GALA ensure that children can grow up in an opportunity-rich environment and that attention is paid to equality of opportunity because poverty, debt, housing and/or living problems, loneliness, a disability, unemployment and/or no meaningful daytime activity all affect how (mentally) healthy you are and how fit you feel. A healthy lifestyle is important here and is stimulated through, among other things, the projects within the Healthy and Active Living Agreement (GALA). The recently started JOGG approach in Bakel or the project one against loneliness are just a few examples. From the regional Integral Care Agreement (IZA) a regional picture has been made and a regional prevention infrastructure is being worked on together with the steering committee Peel duurzaam gezond and the GGD. We work together on the following approaches; fall prevention, promising start, wellbeing on prescription, child to healthy weight and combined lifestyle interventions.

Theme 2: Participation

Everyone in Gemert-Bakel can participate and develop within their abilities and contribute to society. Everyone matters, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, culture and background. Everyone participates. This is not self-evident for some of the inhabitants of Gemert-Bakel and therefore we offer support where needed.

Inclusion

The UN disability treaty has been in effect in the Netherlands since 2016. The purpose of this treaty is to improve the position of people with disabilities. It states that people with disabilities are entitled to the same opportunities in society as everyone else. Therefore, noticeably fewer barriers are needed in society so that people can live as they wish. We want all residents to feel at home, based on the idea that we want to be a welcoming and inclusive municipality. Of course also for those living with disabilities. This includes not only people with a visible physical disability, with rollator or wheelchair, but also people with disabilities that are less visible. A first step has been taken with the 'Ongehinderd app', here you can see which places are accessible with a wheelchair and for example also where public toilets are in the municipality. Also in construction projects and new housing estates attention is paid to improving accessibility in buildings but also in the living environment. In this we work together with the physical domain. A first step towards an inclusive municipality has been made by starting an accessible center and the dementia-friendly municipality project, but more is needed. Through awareness within and outside the municipal organization, policies will become increasingly inclusive. It is therefore necessary to further develop the inclusion agenda, to work on awareness and accessible access with attention to the structural and sustainable use of experts by experience.

Low literacy

In Gemert-Bakel the illiteracy rate of the working population is 17%, nationally it is 12%. Of this group, 65% have Dutch as their mother tongue. This means that in our municipality alone about 3365 people do not have sufficient language skills to participate fully. To ensure that this group can also participate, we are investing in tackling low literacy. The moment a resident has sufficient basic skills, he/she is less likely to fall into poverty and is better able to come out of it independently, has better health, can better supervise his/her children and thus break the cycle of low literacy. We work closely with the Taalhuis partners (Bibliotheek de Lage Beemden, ROC, Stichting Lezen & Schrijven and Lumens) on this. The multi-year plan for low literacy expires at the end of 2024. In 2024, a new multi-year plan will be prepared and submitted to the council for funding.

For years, the Library has had a broad social function in which, in addition to its traditional function (lending books), it also engages in various social policy areas. For example, the library is an important partner in the Language House and in tackling illiteracy and poverty. In recent years, the library has also worked with primary education to establish a library at school in almost every elementary school, and has been implementing the Boekstart project (including reading promotion for 0 to 2 year olds, Bookstart coaching, and other reading-promoting interventions) since 2012. In addition to the promotion of reading and writing, the library has a "Digital Government Information Point" (IDO), which ensures that residents stay digitally connected.

Participation Act

The purpose of the Participation Act is to lead everyone with an ability to work to (regular) work and to provide residents who are unable to do so with an income. Senzer executes this for our municipality. They provide:

• Income support, for financial security and stability;
• Sustainable (labor) participation, finding and keeping work;
• Apprenticeship infrastructure, for residents at a great distance from the labor market.

Senzer performs a large part of its tasks from the area team social domain and, where necessary, works closely with professionals within the area team for the purpose of providing benefits efficiently and reintegrating residents successfully into the labor market. The State is reviewing the Participation Act on the basis of various tracks and along the lines of trust, human measure, simplicity and making inclusive work and employment more attractive. The government has also announced developments in the area of employer service centers and regional work centers and an expansion of the target group for the Employment Agreement. These and other developments have been incorporated into the 2025-2028 Long-Term Service Plan "People-Focused Services and Integrated Regional Cooperation. In it, the focus for the coming years is placed on work from a broader view of participation, on a service aimed at improving subsistence security and the ability to participate and tailored to the needs of the client and on investment in integral and regional cooperation in the broad social domain and the labor market region.

Social Return On Investment

Together with the seven municipalities in the Labor Market Region of Helmond-De Peel, new policy around Social Return on Investment (SROI) is in place as of January 1, 2024. The goal is to offer even more people with a distance to the labor market an opportunity to participate in the labor market and thus realize a more inclusive labor market. The regional implementation of that policy has been placed in the hands of an independent regional service point; this agency will relieve the municipality of these concerns.

Poverty

It is important that residents do not fall below the social minimum so that they can participate fully in society. In the previous policy period, a separate poverty policy was drawn up. For the coming policy period it suffices to include it in this Social Domain Policy Framework. The ambitions as formulated in the poverty policy 2019-2022 have been successfully addressed. Together with the five peel municipalities, the policy rules on Special Assistance have been harmonized and deregulated. A number of minimum schemes have been harmonized. For the scheme Social Participation and the Individual Income Supplement, from January 1, 2024 the income standard in the entire peel region has been set at 120% of the social assistance standard. Residents will also be able to apply for the Individual Income Supplement much earlier from that date. If there is a right to this supplement and there are children in the family then there may also be a right to a family supplement and an additional child supplement for children between the ages of 12 and 18. In the coming policy period we will investigate whether the income standard of 120% can also be applied to the Special Assistance, the contribution to the cost of childcare for parents with a Social Medical Indication childcare (SMI) and determining the own contribution WMO. Our residents know how to find us for support when needed. We inform our residents about the mini schemes and facilities, through a mini leaflet and the provision of an income statement, and provide a visible and accessible counter for financial assistance and information about and support in applying for mini facilities. 18 We continue to engage with our community partners to further raise awareness of available services among vulnerable groups. Some of the mini-provisions that we implement or have implemented are:

• Collective Supplementary Insurance (CAV), better known as the municipal policy;
• Special Assistance;
• Social Participation Scheme;
• Individual Income Supplement;
• Municipal tax waiver;
• Pass Ahead, for people in need of bread.

We also continue to pay attention to residents who need help as a result of the child care allowance affair and provide the National Single Energy Allowance. To reach more children who grow up in low-income families, we subsidize the Leergeld Foundation. They ensure that these children can also participate in education, sports and social activities. Since 2021, Stichting Leergeld also provides winter and summer clothing passes to children growing up in families in poverty. Additional funds have been made available by the municipality for this purpose. We facilitate the Taskforce Children in Poverty (KIA), an alliance of Leergeld, Goed Wonen, social partners from education, childcare, assistance, Language House, business and municipality with the same goal. Since 2021, there has also been a municipal support fund. This support fund is intended for residents who are unable to provide for themselves and are unable to make use of other services and therefore fall between the cracks. With the support fund, we can still offer these residents a customized solution in distressing situations.

Integral Debt Relief

With integral debt assistance we offer a coherent range of help from prevention (see theme 1: Prevention) to aftercare, with the aim of solving both financial problems and the underlying causes. The goal is for our residents to live debt-free and prevent problematic debts so that they can participate to the best of their ability. For private individuals we do this in collaboration with the GR Peelgemeenten. For entrepreneurs we do this in cooperation with GR Senzer. With the 5 Peel municipalities we have drawn up a Policy Plan integral debt assistance Peelgemeenten 2024-2027. For this we refer you to appendix 3. This policy plan will be adopted by the council at the same time as this policy framework.

Culture

Participating in cultural activities contributes, among other things, to connection, well-being and self-development. Gemert-Bakel stimulates the development and promotion of arts and culture in our municipality in a variety of areas where we have a rich tradition of volunteer organizations, associations and culture makers who are involved in arts and/or culture in a variety of areas. We promote cultural entrepreneurship, cultural heritage and encourage cooperation between cultural partners by providing financial resources to associations and organizations. At the end of 2023, a start was made with the cultural policy. Starting points are that culture connects, culture must be accessible to everyone, culture contributes to health and well-being, and there is room for cultural (talent) development and development for everyone. The drafting of the cultural policy is done together with the partners in the cultural field of Gemert-Bakel so that it becomes a widely supported vision.

Theme 3: Living longer independently at home

There will be more than 900 people over 75 in the municipality of Gemert-Bakel until 2030. Elderly people who mostly need some form of care and support to continue living at home for as long as possible. There are also other residents, such as vulnerable young people, people with mental or psychological problems or a mental or physical disability who need support to continue living at home. Tightness in the housing and labor market requires some support from the Wmo and awareness among residents to think in time about a housing adjustment or a move. It also requires a different design of public spaces and other ways of providing care. A new standard has been formulated: by yourself if possible, at home if possible and digitally if possible.

Wmo

The municipality implements the Wmo to make it possible for people to continue living at home for longer and to participate in society. In this context, it is responsible for the implementation of domestic support, collective demand-dependent transportation, housing adjustments and the provision of aids. Individual guidance and day care also ensure that someone can continue to live independently (longer). The implementation and service provision of these tasks takes place locally, so that the resident with all assistance questions can also go locally. Wmo-consulents are part of the area team in Gemert-Bakel and work on location close to the residents. They know the local network and perform their tasks in close cooperation with the village supporters. The Wmo-consulents are employed by the regional implementation organization GR Peelgemeenten, which facilitates and supports the local implementation with employership, policy making, administrative support and contract management. In the coming years we will continue the implementation and continue to focus on prevention, own strength and voluntary effort where possible and a customized provision where necessary. We are committed to making our residents even more aware of their own responsibility for their living situation. For example, we expect everyone to take the necessary measures where possible, such as adapting a bathroom or moving to a ground floor apartment, in order to continue living at home as they get older. We support and facilitate initiatives that make this possible. There are also a number of national and local developments that we are responding to. Given the shortage in the housing market, we have coordinated with Goed Wonen on the release of existing adapted homes, so that they are and remain available for the Wmo target group. People with psychological/psycho-social problems or mental disabilities can often use help in living independently. Under the Wmo, individual guidance or day care can be a solution. Group guidance is mainly aimed at day structuring, relieving informal care and preventing (crisis) admission. Individual guidance offers help with all practical daily activities to improve self-reliance and participation. Again, we first look at what someone is still able to do themselves, possibly with the help of their social network, and whether they can make use of existing facilities.

Wmo Protected Living

On January 1, 2022, a start was made with the substantive decentralization of Protected Living. The responsibility for the implementation of Protected Living has shifted from the center municipalities to all municipalities. The introduction of the residence principle and the new distribution model for Protected Living have again been postponed. The new target date will be January 1, 2025. In order to properly shape the transformation, it has been recognized nationally that regional cooperation is a prerequisite for this. The Peel municipalities have made agreements with the municipality of Helmond for the implementation of the Protected Housing services as well as the Social Support and the Women's Shelter. We form one region and together give substance to the task and responsibility to organize the care and support around Protected Housing for our residents as optimally as possible. We will work on this, but also on the further extramuralization in the coming years. To make extramuralization possible, a solid local support structure is indispensable. This may partly fit within existing initiatives, but it is expected that further development will be necessary to make existing initiatives accessible to this target group. In addition, organizing good local access is important, so that the threshold for asking for help is low and the employees involved have knowledge and expertise. Intensive cooperation between the access from the local municipality and the Municipality of Helmond as indicator is essential. In the coming years, we will invest in a further intensification of this collaboration in which joint responsibility for the client and knowledge sharing are central. The residence principle will also be further elaborated and implemented in the access process. Tightness in the housing market makes it difficult to find suitable housing quickly. As a result, the influx and outflow of Protected Housing is stagnating. It is important that people are able to move on to their desired municipality. By this we mean that people can live in the municipality with the greatest chance of sustainable recovery. The municipality has a responsibility in having sufficient affordable housing options for this target group and invests in this by making performance agreements with the housing corporation. Understanding the outflow figures and municipality of origin is also important.

Innovation (e-health)

If we have to live independently at home for longer, we cannot escape innovative and digital applications in healthcare. The tight labor market also makes this movement necessary. Within Peel Sustainable Healthy, several major healthcare parties in the region are working on these innovations, such as alarms and health apps.

Overlying facilities day care

We support and facilitate local facilities that are easily accessible to all inhabitants of Gemert-Bakel who need a daytime activity, such as the Free Connection, the Ont-moeting and the Boulevard. These are initiatives where, with the help of volunteers, residents can go for a small fee to spend the day in a meaningful and fun way and which contribute to preventing or postponing a WMO indication.

Social Counter

The Social Counter is a physical drop-in point, where adults (18+) can go for low-threshold support in various areas of life without indication. The approach of the Social Counter is to provide accessible and direct access to help for residents within Gemert-Bakel. In this way we contribute to preventing the risk of heavier and more intensive support in the longer term and to postponing or preventing WMO indications. The Social Counter can also have a safety net function for residents who have received Wmo support in the past but have completed it. Should a future need for assistance arise, these residents can also contact the Social Services counter instead of applying for a new indication.

Residential (care) vision

In 2024, an integral residential (care) vision has been drawn up in which, among other things, the residential care needs are mapped out for the municipality and what we as a municipality are aiming for. The residential (care) vision also lays the foundation for further performance agreements and/or a future-proof implementation program that specifically defines which plans will be implemented and when, in order to provide housing, care and welfare for the elderly and other vulnerable target groups in Gemert-Bakel. The outcomes of the residential (care) vision will have a place in the performance agreements with Goed Wonen (housing corporation). We also work together with other partners, such as de Zorgboog, Zorgcollectief Gemert, and where necessary we also make agreements with these partners.

Public space

A public space with enough space for greenery, room to play, meet and move. All this ensures that residents stay healthier and combats loneliness. The public space must be accessible so that residents can continue to live in their own environment for longer. We contribute to new spatial plans, area developments and the environmental vision.

Theme 4: Strengthen (in)formal network

The village supporters are the coordinating and supporting key figures from the villages or neighborhoods in Gemert-Bakel. They enter into conversation with the resident who has a support request and together they look for a solution in the neighborhood. They also have a broker function in making connections within the personal social network, between volunteer organizations and point residents to collective facilities. They make the connection between the formal and informal network and refer residents when necessary. The village supporters are an indispensable link between the formal and the informal network, it is therefore important that we strengthen the (in)formal network so that the village and neighborhood-oriented work continues to function well. In addition, we encourage a vital association life, civic initiatives and involvement of all residents. We want residents to continue to participate and to mean something to each other.

Digital village square with social map

A tremendous amount happens in our community. Residents organize activities, offer services and things, and ask each other for help. There are also all kinds of facilities that everyone can use. Unfortunately, many people still do not know what is possible and where they can go with their questions. To bring residents, associations, organizations and the municipality closer together, we are making everything our neighborhoods have to offer visible through one online community platform with a social map: Onsgemertbakel.nl. This website for and by all inhabitants, organizations and entrepreneurs from Gemert-Bakel aims to make it easier for them to find and connect with each other. The municipality facilitates a whole network of stakeholders to fill, set up and manage the website. The social map does fall under the responsibility of the municipality and is managed by Library de Lage Beemden.

Structural communication

Residents of Gemert-Bakel need to be able to know that assistance in the area of support and care is available, how they can access it and where to find it. Structural communication to inform residents about this takes place through the municipal website, Onsgemertbakel.nl, the municipality's socials (facebook and instagram), coverage in the Gemerts Nieuwsblad and leaflet material.

Citizen Participation

A general trend is that we (want to) involve more and more residents, volunteer organizations and initiatives in the drafting of policy because volunteers and active citizens have a role to play in the implementation and sometimes we even depend on their involvement in the implementation. In addition, this cooperation provides information about what is going on in society. We are committed to facilitating, supporting and valuing local voluntary action. In addition, during this policy period, we will clearly formulate the roles and relationship between the municipality and volunteer organizations in order to support and cooperate with volunteer organizations in achieving specific social goals. We want to be a participatory municipality.

Caretakers

Informal caregivers make an important contribution in caring for others. Thanks to informal caregivers, the person receiving care can often continue to live at home and participate. For some informal caregivers there is a risk of overburdening. In Gemert-Bakel we therefore attach great importance to informal care support and appreciation.

Support center for informal care and informal care appreciation

The Gemert Care Collective can provide information and advice, a listening ear and contact with other caregivers. They also organise the annual awarding of the volunteer care appreciation.The municipality of Gemert-Bakel annually appreciates its volunteer caregivers with a voucher and a pleasant afternoon organized by the support center and the village supporters. During the transition from the support center to the Gemert Care Collective, the emphasis was mainly on rebuilding a database of volunteer caregivers, increasing the awareness and reach of the support center and the implementation of the volunteer care appreciation. Now that this is well established, the implementation of the appreciation will continue in the coming years and, in addition, more attention can be paid to the support of informal caregivers and prevention.

Supporting family caregivers

Village supporters are primarily the first point of contact for informal caregivers to properly organize support in their own network in the vicinity. Good cooperation between village supporters and the support center for informal care is therefore very important. Subsidization by the municipality of the support point therefore takes place through the Village Support Foundation, employer of the village supporters, to secure this connection and strengthen the support.

Social network

A good social network contributes to people's self-reliance and participation. Without such a network it is difficult to maintain care. The support center can help both care seekers and caregivers to identify and strengthen this network. They have developed a care map for this purpose. In addition, together with the village supporters, they make efforts to make residents aware of a good social network or to start thinking about this even before they need care. The starting point is that help is first and foremost provided by the social network and volunteers or professionals can provide support where necessary.

Volunteer Policy

It is increasingly difficult to find and retain volunteers. Not only professional institutions run into this, but also volunteer organizations and associations. The way and why volunteers want to volunteer is changing. It is noticed that they have different needs in this. In 2024, a new volunteer policy will be drawn up that responds to these changing needs. We will work together with both professional institutions and social organizations.

Collaboration formal network

We are committed to the further development of the neighborhood teams and strengthening cooperation with our social partners. We know how to find each other better, look beyond our borders and thus offer the resident better help or support.

6. What else do we do?

In addition to the themes described in Chapter 5 on which we are working in the coming period, there is more to do within the social domain. The social domain also works on education and educational housing, multifunctional accommodations (MFAs), subsidies, care and safety, sports and in the areas of housing and health and livestock farming. Where the policy framework provides insufficient coverage, the implementation programs are leading.

6.1 Education and educational housing

Education

Cooperation with our educational partners in primary and secondary education is extremely important. After all, education is the basis for the future and children spend a lot of time at school so it should be the place where children feel at home and are supported where necessary. The cooperation with our local educational parties has been worked out in a Local Educational Agenda (LEA), which will be reviewed in 2024. This agenda consists of a list of actions aimed at the age of 0 to 18. Examples include strengthening the care structure, education on substance abuse, talent development towards sports and/or culture. We join, for example, the regional approach SKIP, to implement the plan around prevention of alcohol and drug use. Each action involves cooperation between the municipality, education and possibly other parties such as childcare, youth work, library, etc. Consultations on the Local Educational Agenda take place at both the executive and administrative levels. The goal is for the municipality and education to reinforce each other's roles.

The next few years will be devoted to:

• Encourage children to receive education as close as possible;
• Encourage children to develop their talents by making the connection to culture and/or sports, for example, in addition to education;
• Secure a close cooperation between education and (youth) care;
• Achieve a comprehensive approach from school to sustainable employment (bill);
• Team youth connects to the care structure of primary and secondary education;
• Closer connection of the compulsory education officer to the area team;
• That cooperation between the municipality and education is flexible enough to allow room for picking up current issues such as poverty, sustainability, etc;
• Act together locally in connection with the Collaborative Partnership for Appropriate Education PO and VO and RMC.

Continuous learning line and early childhood education (vve)

The continuous learning line starts from infancy and continues through secondary (vocational) education. Important links in this are the connection from preschool to primary education and the transition from primary to secondary education.

The municipality has a legal duty to provide preschool work for all toddlers and early childhood education from the educational disadvantage policy. In the first 1000 days of a child's life, the foundations are laid for a healthy start in which development is possible for the child. In the realization of preschool work and vve, the municipality cooperates with childcare, consultation bureau, education and library. The goal is that there are equal opportunities for all children as close to home as possible. This can be extended from the youngest years to the age of 18. The municipality has a stimulating role in this by, for example, guaranteeing specialized child care, enabling preschool groups and investing in, for example, a synthesis class to ease the transition from primary to secondary school.

Educational Housing

Municipalities are responsible for the housing of schools in primary, secondary and special education. This responsibility is detailed in the Education Housing Ordinance. Educational housing facilitates education. With educational housing, the municipality can stimulate developments such as the importance of the continuous learning line by allowing a combination of child care and education in buildings, the retention of special education and maintaining a varied educational offering. In recent years much has been invested in educational housing in the small villages with the aim of maintaining education in the villages. That goal remains important in the coming years as well. In 2024, in cooperation with the school boards, a new integral housing plan (IHP) has been drawn up. This is to work together towards future-proof housing with realistic goals for each party. In the coming years we will focus on:

• Site selection and new construction of Commanderij College Macropedius;
• New building KC Berglaren;
• Connect with national developments regarding educational housing such as, for example, active participation in the specific benefit ventilation in schools (suvis);
• Educational housing in relation to the expansion housing development in Gemert-North through new construction of a duo school with 2 x 200 pupils in Doonheide;
• We pay attention to good distribution, in the context of home neighborliness;
• Adequate capacity for housing exercise education.

6.2 Multifunctional accommodations (MFAs)

MFAs have an important position in village centers to maintain livability, enable education and be a facility in the village for organizing activities and meeting for our residents. Commonality among the MFAs in the municipality is that there is a collaboration of professionals and volunteers. Maintaining future-proof MFAs is the goal for the coming years. This includes supporting the volunteers with any questions they may have and being clear about everyone's responsibilities. In 2024 we draw up a new "community houses policy" in which attention is paid to the identity of each village in the municipality and in which the agreements are recalibrated.

6.3 Grant framework

The municipality of Gemert-Bakel has established the framework for subsidies in the General Subsidy Ordinance. The subsidy regulation(s) regulate what is subsidized per policy theme. Annually more than € 4 million in subsidies are provided. These subsidies go to a variety of organizations. From relatively small voluntary organizations such as foundations and (sports) associations, to large(er) social and professional organizations. The objective of granting subsidies is that it contributes to achieving the municipality's policy objectives and thus has a social effect. The subsidy frameworks for voluntary organizations have not been adjusted for a long time. Starting in 2024, we will renew and update the various subsidy schemes based on adopted policies by the City Council. Specifically, for the Social Domain, this will involve volunteer, cultural, community center, and sports policies.

6.4 Public housing (a home for all)

Gemert-Bakel wants to be and remain an attractive residential municipality. Pleasant and suitable housing contributes to the quality of life, of households, the livability of neighborhoods, village centers and the municipality as a whole. To this end, the municipality works with its partners to ensure a well-functioning housing market. In 2024, an integrated housing (care) vision will be adopted that shows that the municipality wants to add and adapt housing according to the wishes of all target groups. The housing (care) vision is a steering instrument in this ongoing endeavor. It is of course important that every resident has a nice and suitable home where he or she feels at home. The housing corporation (Goed Wonen) is our cooperation partner in this. Regular consultation takes place and together with the Tenants' Interest Foundation annual performance agreements are made. In the area of Protected Housing to Protected Home, we work together with the six Peel municipalities. This will require further development. When we have a good insight into the outflow figures, we will make agreements about housing alternatives for this target group and incorporate this in performance agreements.

To facilitate through-flow and to prevent vulnerable youth from ending up in 24-hour shelters, there are initiatives that we support, such as the Watermill for vulnerable youth and the new housing forms that are emerging in the Gerardus Church from housing corporation Goed Wonen.

Housing status holders

The municipality has the task of providing suitable housing for status holders. Every six months, the central government determines the target: the number of status holders that must be housed in a municipality during that six-month period. In order to realize the task we work together with Goed Wonen and Lumens Vluchtelingenwerk. Goed Wonen provides sufficient housing and Lumens Refugee Council guides the status holders through their first steps in the municipality. Every 6 weeks we coordinate with them through a housing consultation. Senzer also joins this meeting, because of issues related to work and income.

6.5 Care and safety

Violence has no place anywhere

The words "violence has no place anywhere" are sufficient to convey the municipal vision. In addition, we are in line with the regional vision that has been drawn up where the starting point is that everyone has the right to safety, especially at home. We strive to ensure that through cooperation of professionals the chain of domestic violence is seen, addressed and broken. Connection, cooperation and trust of all involved is of great importance. The municipality has a local approach to this issue with the goal of:

• No domestic violence;
• Professionals identify domestic violence and act according to the reporting code;
• Professionals have sufficient tools and agreements to act.

The municipality has appointed four attention officers for this theme who have been trained for this purpose. This ensures that there is a connection with national and regional developments, that there are clear working processes in line with a municipal protocol and assessment framework, that there is a connection between all professionals on this theme and that the subject is made open for discussion. Implementation takes place within the scope of the national program Violence Belongs Nowhere Home.

Closing approach to vulnerable people in complex situations

Complex problems in society are increasing. To deal with complex situations where care and safety come together, we have set up an incident consultation. This is a consultation with key partners where, depending on the situation, we explore together what is needed in a case to prevent escalation. We continue to work on the person-centered approach of vulnerable people who need support, such as victims of human trafficking or people with confused behavior. For each case we work together with the relevant partners, such as the Police, care and assistance agencies and the housing corporation. With the help of an integral personalized (mix of) intervention(s) we try to prevent (vulnerable) people from displaying nuisance or criminal behavior. This mainly concerns a small group of people who cause a lot of nuisance and often have multiple and complex problems, such as: psychiatric complaints, addiction and a mental disability. In addition, there are often problems in other areas of life, such as debts and housing problems. For these individuals, the generic offer of interventions does not work, or does not work sufficiently, which means that in these types of situations it is necessary to go off the beaten path to reach a solution. A number of practical rules of thumb/games have been drawn up for the implementation of this incident consultation. These lay down rules about the input and sharing of data and information. We regularly evaluate how this goes and whether adjustment of the process or partners is required. If necessary, cases can be scaled up to the Care and Safety House Brabant ZuidOost. This is a collaboration between partners from the criminal justice and care chain, municipal partners and government. Together they tackle complex problems and reduce nuisance, domestic violence and crime. The collaborative partners identify problems, devise solutions and implement them together. This enables us to tackle care and safety problems better, faster and more effectively.

6.6 Sports

Sports Note

Before drawing up a new sports memorandum, a future vision for sports associations and sports facilities will be drawn up. The future vision will elaborate ambitions to ensure that sports associations are kept vital and strengthened and to ensure an appropriate level of facilities.

Neighborhood sports coaches

From the Brede Regeling Combinatiefuncties component, several local officials (neighborhood sports coaches) are active in our municipality. They are deployed in different areas such as youth, participation and sports and exercise providers. In addition, these officials are active for specific target groups. This deployment will be continued and expanded.

7. Legal frameworks

Within the social domain we implement a number of laws, which we have to implement locally, in which we cooperate regionally. See Appendix 1 for the organization of these. Appendix 2 contains an overview of all the laws we work with; some have already been incorporated into the themes in Chapter 2. In this chapter we describe a number of laws and how we implement them locally.

Integration Act 2021

The Integration 2021 Act came into effect on January 1, 2022. The purpose of the Integration 2021 Act is to ensure rapid integration of newcomers. Integration is mandatory for all adult status holders, family migrants and other migrants (from a country outside the European Union (EU), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland). In 2018, the seven municipalities in the Helmond-De Peel labor market region began working together to prepare for the new Integration Act. With the ambition that persons integrating learn the language, start working and participate fully in society as soon as possible. The cooperation was initiated with the following starting points:

1. Local what can be done, regional what must be done;
2. Clarity to all partners;
3. Customization.

With the new law, the municipality is responsible for guiding and monitoring the integration process. This role is fulfilled by three track directors inburgering that we as five municipalities in the Peel region have appointed. This course director can be found one day a week in the town hall in Gemert and works closely with the parties in the area team of the social domain in Gemert-Bakel.

An important task of the trajectory directors is to monitor and provide outline guidance to all persons integrating on time. With the Civic Integration Act 2021, the municipality is not only responsible for trajectory direction but also for the procurement of (parts of) the civic integration program. There are three different learning routes, namely the B1 route, the education route and the self-reliance route. Language schools, Senzer and Lumens each carry out components in these routes. Cooperation agreements have been made and agreements entered into for this purpose. These are monitored and adjusted where necessary.

We cooperate in the implementation of integration partly as five Peel municipalities, partly as seven municipalities in the labor market region Helmond-de Peel. In the coming policy period, the design and implementation of the new Integration Act 2021 will be further developed. There are also currently still persons who have not yet completed their civic integration and still fall under the Civic Integration Act of 2013. As a municipality, we also provide tailored support to this so-called 'in-between group'. This means: language at the highest possible level and maximizing the chances of employment. Instruments that have been and are (still) being developed for the new entrants who fall under the new Integration Act are also used for this group.

Municipal Debt Relief Act (Wgs).

The Wgs was created to support residents in financial self-sufficiency. The Wgs requires the municipal council to adopt a plan at least once every four years that gives direction to the integral debt assistance to residents of the municipality. Within the GR Peelgemeenten we cooperate in this. A new regional policy plan for integral debt assistance 2024-2027 was drawn up in 2023. This will be adopted at the same time as the policy framework and is attached to this policy framework as Appendix 3.

Mandatory mental health (mental health) act

On January 1, 2020, the Compulsory Mental Health Care Act and the Care and Compulsion Act (Wvggz and Wzd) were introduced. This introduced three new procedures, namely the crisis measure, the care authorisation and the IBS. Various tasks, responsibilities and powers have changed for the municipality of Gemert-Bakel. Locally, we have set up work processes to ensure that the implementation of the Wvggz/Wzd runs smoothly. Subregionally (GR Peelgemeenten and the municipality of Helmond) we have made a joint purchase for the (partial) implementation of some municipal tasks, namely setting up a non-acute combination hotline for reporting confused behavior and Wvggz, carrying out the exploratory investigation and performing the duty to hear.

Client Participation and SD Advisory Group Municipalities are legally obliged to involve residents including clients in their policies in the social domain. This obligation is included in the Wmo, the Youth Act and the Participation Act, the manner in which municipalities are free.

In recent years we have built a network of discussion partners in Gemert-Bakel. We hold structural consultations with interest groups and our informal and professional network partners active in the social domain about the implementation of policy. We aim to better align the policy within the social domain with the needs.

Appendix 1: Organizational structure

This appendix describes the organizational structure in the social domain.

1. Organization

In the municipality of Gemert-Bakel, several parties deal with the social domain. The social domain is not only housed in different organizations, but also cooperates with different municipalities. Locally and regionally we have direction on various topics. We have placed the policy development regarding the implementation of the three laws and procurement of care, support work and income in various collaborative structures at the regional level and in local policy, so that we can focus locally on providing direct services to our residents and strengthening the informal and professional network around our residents. We also focus on strengthening and expanding local low-threshold and frontline services so that individual dispensations from the three decentralized laws are minimized. Below is a description of how the Social Domain is organized locally.

1.1 Local

In Gemert-Bakel we have organized the preparation, decision-making and implementation of the three decentralizations in the Social Domain team in order to also organize local implementation in coherence. The implementation of all three transitions takes place in the district teams and the Gemert-Bakel area team. Differences are possible for each district team and no blueprint will be imposed. However, all district teams are responsible for all questions that need to be dealt with from the area in question.

When it comes to housing, welfare, care, education or work, we address it in conjunction. We believe it is important to continue to invest with our partners in preventing problems and providing local solutions.

In addition, we look to see if we see questions that arise in multiple neighborhoods. If this is the case, we can make a targeted extra effort so that the other neighborhoods can also benefit. We also see opportunities when it comes to recognizing problems at an early stage. When similar problems become visible in various places, we can also tackle them in conjunction. In this way we want to avoid having to keep reinventing the wheel.

Organization

Because with this program we are building on existing policy, we have opted for broad citizen participation, through careful coordination with our core partners, the (interim) Social Domain Advisory Group, the Care Working Groups and the Work and Income Client Council. Annually, together with the core partners (Goed Wonen, Lumens, GGD, Zorgboog and Senzer) an implementation program is drawn up containing concrete projects and activities to achieve the goals set in the program a solid social basis. The aim here is also to give residents a place as much as possible to shape the implementation together with them. To this end, the Social Domain Advisory Group takes the initiative and we facilitate where possible.

The premise here is that we keep the reporting and accountability burden to a minimum, but at the same time sufficiently monitor results and effects of policies and report on them to each other, the City Council and the State.

Village and neighborhood-oriented work is embedded in all the contracts we enter into and cooperation agreements we enter into. This therefore also applies to all regional agreements regarding the Participation Act, the Youth Act and the Wmo. We have also been able to connect to our local policy choices in all documents so far.

By deploying these regional agreements locally, we can have a comprehensive approach locally. Several people and organizations are important in this local network. These local parties are named below. Also discussed below is the local organization of the decentralizations and how the cooperation with the regional organizations facilitates the local approach.

Informal network

The informal network consists of organized citizens. Parties/organizations within the informal network are closest to the individual citizen. These are therefore the most important parties when it comes to: signaling, the listening ear and the first helping hand. In the context of the three transitions, more effort has been put into informal care. Informal care has a preventive effect on heavier formal care. It is important here to match the scale and need. If informal care is successful on a small scale, it soon expands.

• Parties within the informal network are:
• Village councils, neighborhood/neighborhood platforms and healthcare working groups;
• Village supporters/consultants youth/key people in the neighborhood;
• Volunteer and informal care;
• Associations and organizations:
• Neighborhood and sports associations;
• Senior Educators;
• Organizations like KBO and the Sunflower.

Village supporters

Through the use of village supporters, we create local solutions in the informal network. The village supporters are the coordinating and supporting key figures from the respective villages or neighborhoods. They enter into conversation with the resident who has a support question and together they look for a solution in the neighborhood. They also have a broker function in making connections within the personal social network, between volunteer organizations and point residents to collective facilities. They make the connection between the formal and informal network and refer residents when necessary. The village supporters think from opportunities close to the citizen or help requests and do not work bureaucratically.

The care working groups are organizationally and substantively responsible for managing the village supporters. The employment of the village supporters is placed under the Stichting Dorpsondersteuning (Village Support Foundation). The Care Cooperative Gemert, the care working groups and the municipality are represented in that Foundation. These parties form an important link in the cooperation with the village supporters. In addition to being an employer, the Foundation also guarantees the independence and autonomy of the village supporters and facilitates them where necessary.

To date, the use of village supporters has focused mainly on the elderly and adults. Because there is also a need for the youth target group to connect with the informal network and the underlying field, a village supporter has been appointed specifically for youth.

Neighborhood Teams

When the village supporters cannot provide a solution, they are supported by other professionals in the neighborhood teams. Conversely, professionals can also seek cooperation with the informal network through the neighborhood teams. By starting from informal support (informal care and volunteers), as a professional you connect to what is already happening in the citizen's environment, namely the care and support of people among themselves. We want to keep the village support worker outside the official indication process.

Neighborhood teams have been established within which prevention and early signaling are routine and support is realized in coherence. We have provided recognizable points of contact for the partners working together and we have invested in the cooperation within the village and neighborhood teams so that there is a comprehensive network of social services. The starting point here is that this takes place with the consent of the person seeking help and as much as possible in his or her presence. Professionals are of course bound in this exchange of information to the legal privacy regulations that apply within their profession.

Methodology

Village supporters, youth consultants, Wmo consultants and participation coaches/income consultants are on the neighborhood teams. Together with the other neighborhood team members, they are responsible for ensuring that all questions are in the picture and actually addressed. During home visits, professionals are expected to look broadly at all areas of life and identify early if something is going on. This is not a checklist, but this is an attitude we ask of professionals. The three decentralization laws place the duty of care on the municipality to ensure that no resident falls between the cracks and does not receive the support that is necessary, so the municipality has a different responsibility than other partners. Solutions are found where possible in the informal network and where necessary in the formal network. The professionals themselves are responsible for identifying things that are not going well in implementation. When they and the neighborhood team cannot provide a solution, the directors of the municipality are the first point of contact. Sometimes it may be necessary to scale up. For this we have the escalation model. Initially it can be scaled up to the manager of the own organization, and eventually to the manager of Social Domain. If there is no solution then the alderman is in the picture to provide a solution.

Steering

The cooperating parties in the neighborhood teams jointly ensure a well-coordinated implementation. The managers of the participating organizations are expected to manage their employees in such a way that they make maximum use of the control space in this implementation. We expect the professionals to empower people, but we also expect professionals to immediately switch gears based on their expertise when they estimate that this is not feasible. And thus also when it goes beyond the professional's own area of responsibility.

Calamity

During emergencies, the methodologies agreed upon in the safety region apply.

Care working groups

The working groups on care are an important part of the informal network. The working groups care form a signaling network in their neighborhood/village, act as a sounding board for the village supporters and are responsible for the substantive management of the village supporters. In each village and district there is a working group on care.

These working groups consist of volunteers and village supporters. Because the care work groups in Gemert have more difficulty connecting with the village, the municipality is investing in supporting them so that they too can function independently in the future.

We are tackling this together with the residents. We find that we now have four or five people around the table per neighborhood; we would like to expand this to create more involvement from the residents. We do depend here on the willingness of residents. We try to recruit new interested residents with every initiative (such as the neighbourhood day). We want to facilitate the working groups to entice residents to participate in the working groups care and create more involvement. This role is taken up by the municipality.

Area Team

To properly organize the support to our residents we work with the area team. The municipality of Gemert-Bakel has chosen to organize support from the town hall as a basic workplace. The area team functions in a large network of informal and formal professionals as well as within a political environment. Who works from the town hall is the area team:

• Youth Team (employed municipality);
• Team Wmo (employed GR Peelgemeenten);
• Team participation (employed Senzer);
• Youth work team (employed municipality);
• Team Lumens (social work, refugee work, debt assistance, social counselor work);
• MEE;
• Fact Team (GGZ).

A strong area team is a team where prevention, assistance and decisions are interwoven. The main idea is to offer appropriate care (matched care), also paying attention to the strength of the residents and their own network. In these cases, the upscaling is slower: informal care first, then accessible professional care and, if there is no other way, indicated care.

1.2 Regional

The sections below describe how the Social Domain is organized regionally.

Regional (5 municipalities)

From the Peel cooperation of 5 municipalities, the implementation of the Youth Act and the WMO is organized at the regional level and largely implemented locally within the area team. The above operations are complex because of the size of the number of residents involved and the enormous budgets involved in the Youth Act, WMO and BMS (Special Assistance, Social Participation and Debt Services)). The Participation Act is invested in Gr Senzer for seven municipalities (Participation Act).

The substantive policy of the Youth Act and WMO: translating national substantive policy and developments into regulations and policy rules and the purchase of care, are taken up by the GR Peelgemeenten. At the front, the directors are asked to indicate, with regard to the content, how to connect to the local implementation.

The execution of the municipal tasks in the field of the Participation Act, the Wsw, the IOAW, the IOAZ, the Wajong, the Bbz 2004 and related legislation is taken up jointly by the 7 municipalities in the labor market region Helmond-De Peel by Senzer. On January 1, 2023, the GR Senzer was updated. Pursuant to this new GR, every four years Senzer draws up a Multi-Year Plan (MJP) incorporating its task assignment. The Multi-Year Service Plan 2025-2028 is the first in the new cycle and was submitted to the council for a view in December 2023. The financial translation of this MYP will follow in the draft 2025 budget and 2025-2028 multi-year estimate. There is also an annual framework letter. The MYP has a four-year term. Because much can change politically, financially and economically in that time, an evaluation is planned in two years (before the 2026 municipal elections). If necessary, an adjustment will then follow. The implementation of the Special Assistance has been placed entirely with Senzer, based on a service agreement between Peelgemeenten and Senzer.

The Social Return On Investment (SROI) policy was also established within this scale and in cooperation of the 7 municipalities. Finally, the regional labor market policy was established within this region. This together with a representation of education, employers, employees and implementing institutions such as Senzer and the UWV.

Regional (21 municipalities)

The Southeast Brabant youth care region has 21 municipalities. These municipalities have been working together in various contexts since 2012. For example, matters are taken up at local and subregional level and care is purchased by three purchasing organizations. The region is divided into 7 sub-regions (De Kempen, A2 municipalities, the Dommelvallei+, BOV municipalities (Best, Oirschot, Veldhoven), the Peel region, Municipality of Helmond, Municipality of Eindhoven).

The Youth Act mandates municipalities to organize and safeguard a number of functions at the regional level. It concerns the organization of an Advice Point on Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Safe Home, the collaboration with the Child Protection Council, Youth Protection and Youth Rehabilitation. In addition, from the point of view of efficiency and effectiveness, there is cooperation in the purchase of highly specialized youth care that is organized across youth care regions (youth care plus/closed youth care) and the design of an integrated crisis service. For this, (purchase) agreements are concluded at the level of 21 municipalities by the Municipality of Eindhoven.

In this regional cooperation, Gemert-Bakel is represented by the GR Peel municipalities and the five Peel municipalities have agreed to jointly operate as one entity in "21 for youth". From the area team, recognizable faces for the three decentralizations are present in the district teams who can make the connection with the regional implementation. These employees work in the front office system that is provided by the implementing organization and has a direct link to the back office system. This allows us to achieve a good connection between local responsibility and the matters that we implement jointly in the region. Because regional policy choices can have consequences for local possibilities and vice versa, we also ensure short official and administrative lines with the regional implementation organization and the municipal organization of Gemert-Bakel. The starting point is that the regional cooperation facilitates the local implementation as much as possible and vice versa that the local implementation is optimally aligned with the regional implementation organization. Gemert-Bakel Area Team

Within the municipality, directors ensure good coordination between the implementing organization Peelgemeenten and Senzer and the local village- and neighborhood-oriented approach. All three decentralizations are implemented according to that concept.

Appendix 2: Laws and regulations related to social domain.

An overview of laws and regulations related to social domain in which powers and responsibilities are vested in municipalities;

1. Wmo (Social Support Act).

Municipalities are responsible for supporting people who are not self-reliant on their own. These include: guidance and day care; informal care support; a place in a protected living environment for people with a mental disorder; shelter in case of domestic violence and people who are homeless.

2. Youth Act

Among other things, the municipalities must offer quality youth aid; draw up a policy plan for prevention, support, assistance and care; make provisions in the area of youth aid (youth aid obligation); organize youth protection measures and youth probation; take measures to deal with child abuse; seek cooperation with other sectors such as health care, education, police and justice; appoint confidential mediators for young people and (foster) parents who deal with youth aid.

3. Participation Act

The municipality is responsible for all people who can work but need support to do so. Municipalities are expected to provide support to this growing target group so that they get to work. Where necessary, there is support to supplement wages (income support).

4. Public Health Act

Promote the establishment and continuity of and coherence within public health care (general tasks, youth and elderly health and infection control), its coordination with curative health care and medical assistance at accidents and disasters. It is also stipulated in the law that various tasks for this must be invested in the GGD.

5. Housing Act

The municipality is responsible for housing "focus groups. This refers to what is now described in Article 46 paragraph 1 under a of the Housing Act: the group of persons who, because of their income or other circumstances, have difficulty finding suitable housing. The cooperation between municipalities, housing associations and tenant organizations is a building block to achieve good public housing performance at the local level. The parties are free to set up a locally appropriate process for performance agreements.

6. Integration Act 2021

Municipalities have a major role to integrate newcomers as quickly as possible: customization and speed are key. The municipality has to direct the course of the persons integrating. Among other things, by drawing up a personal plan for integration and participation (PIP) together with the person integrating.

7. Debt Relief Act

The Wgs regulates that people with (threatening) problematic debts can approach municipalities for advice, debt mediation or a rehabilitation loan, among other things. Note: according to the Wgs, the municipality has a directorial task and the debts must be problematic or imminent. 37

8. Child Care Act

The municipality is responsible for monitoring the quality of care

9. Education & Vocational Education Act

Through the Education and Vocational Training Act (WEB), municipalities receive an annual budget for the (regional) approach to adult education and low literacy. This budget is for training to improve Dutch language, math and digital skills.

10. Primary Education Act

According to Article 23 (41) of the Constitution, there must be enough public elementary schools in every municipality. If there are not, the government must ensure that children receive public education by other means. The municipal council has a constitutional duty to provide sufficient public education. The municipality has a number of legal duties to make education accessible to all. The municipality must ensure that children can be taught in a safe, healthy and stimulating environment. Municipalities are responsible for (new) school buildings in primary, secondary and special education. They must also enable every child to physically get to school. Municipalities and school boards work together a lot on these tasks. Similarly, to combat educational disadvantage among children. The municipality does not interfere with the content of education. Municipalities also have the duty of care for pupil transportation.

11. Development Opportunities through Quality and Education Act (OKE Act).

The municipality is obliged to have a good educational offer for toddlers between 2.5 and 4 years old. This pre- and early childhood education is part of the educational disadvantages policy. Municipality and school boards make agreements about this, often in the so-called Local Educational Agenda.

12. Secondary Education Act

According to Article 23 (41) of the Constitution, there must be enough public elementary schools in every municipality. If there are not, the government must ensure that children receive public education by other means. The municipal council has a constitutional duty to provide sufficient public education. The municipality has a number of legal duties to make education accessible to all. The municipality must ensure that children can be taught in a safe, healthy and stimulating environment. Municipalities are responsible for (new) school buildings in primary, secondary and special education. They must also enable every child to physically get to school. Municipalities and school boards work together a lot on these tasks. Similarly, to combat educational disadvantage among children. The municipality does not interfere with the content of education. Municipalities also have the duty of care for pupil transportation.

13. Expertise Centers Act

The municipality must ensure that children can be taught in a safe, healthy and stimulating environment. Special education and secondary special education are for children for whom it has been established that an orthopedagogical and orthodidactic approach is predominantly appropriate. Municipalities are responsible for (new) school buildings in primary, secondary and special education. They must also enable every child to physically go to school. Municipalities and school boards work together a lot on these tasks. Similarly, to combat educational disadvantage among children. The municipality does not interfere with the content of education. Municipalities also have the duty of care for pupil transportation 38

14. Appropriate Education Act

Everyone has a right to education. According to the Appropriate Education Act (2014), all children must be able to achieve their best. This includes children who need extra help because of learning or behavioral problems. Initially at an ordinary school, which is equipped for this. If more intensive guidance is needed, the child can go to special education. Schools have a legal duty of care: they must, in consultation with the parents, ensure that all children find a suitable place. In order to be able to offer good support (remedial teaching, assistance with dyslexia, etc.), schools in the same region make agreements about this in a partnership of regular schools and schools for special education. This applies to primary and secondary education. The most important implication of the legislation on appropriate education for municipalities is that partnerships are obliged to hold agreement-based consultations (OOGO) on the support plan with the municipality or municipalities within the partnership. The municipality is legally obliged to assist schools with their duty of care. These obligations also arise from the Youth Act.

15. Bill(s) addressing multiple problems

This law regulates the legal task for municipalities for a coordinated approach to multiple problems, the legal bases for the necessary processing and exchange of personal data for this purpose, and safeguarding against unnecessary dissemination or collection of his or her personal data.

16. Compulsory Education Act

The municipality must employ one or more compulsory education officers to ensure that parents and young people comply with the obligation to learn and qualify until age 18.

17. Compulsory mental health care law

On January 1, 2020, the Compulsory Mental Health Care Act and the Care and Compulsion Act (Wvggz and Wzd) were introduced. This introduced three new procedures, namely the crisis measure, the care authorisation and the IBS. Various tasks, responsibilities and powers have changed for the municipality of Gemert-Bakel. Locally, we have set up work processes to ensure that the implementation of the Wvggz/Wzd runs smoothly. Subregionally (GR Peelgemeenten and the municipality of Helmond) we have made a joint purchase for the (partial) implementation of some municipal tasks, namely setting up a non-acute combination hotline for reporting confused behavior and Wvggz, carrying out the exploratory investigation and performing the duty to hear.

18. Media Law

The law regulates admission to the broadcasting system and sets requirements for public broadcasters, among other things, to ensure media pluralism.

In addition, we have a number of implementation & organizational obligations based on:

1. Integral Care Agreement (IZA).

Agreements that involve municipal commitment and responsibility such as prevention, establishing a regional prevention infrastructure and improving cooperation between primary care and the social domain

2. Healthy and Active Living Agreement (GALA).

Agreements on achieving a healthy generation in 2040: resilient, healthy people growing up, living, working and living in a healthy environment with a strong social basis. The municipality must develop a coherent local approach to health, sports and exercise and social basis.

3. Housing, Support and Care for the Elderly (WOZO).

Municipalities have and important role "in encouraging and supporting the desired movements around prevention, support and care.

4. National health policy paper

The four health issues from the National Health Policy Memorandum 2020-2024 guide local health policy: The issues are:

1. Health in the social and physical environment
2. Reduce health disparities
3. Pressures on daily life in adolescents and young adults
4. Vital aging

5. National Prevention Agreement

The agreement focuses primarily on reducing health harms from smoking, problematic alcohol use and obesity. As part of the national agreement, the municipality has been invited to make health gains at the local and regional levels through a local prevention agreement.