Youth

The Academic Collaborative Center Youth (ACCY) is a cooperation between Tilburg University and 22 organizations (municipalities, youth (health) care, mental health care, applied universities and a client organization). The central theme of the ACCY is the transformation of youth care. Since January 2015, municipalities are responsible for all youth care services. This new youth care system has a focus on prevention, and on youth’s and parents’ own capacities. The underlying assumption is that emphasis on these aspects should decrease the use of specialized services.

What does this transformation mean for children, young people, parents and their environment, for the actions of professionals, volunteers and policy makers and for the structures within which care is provided? These three aspects (youth and their environment, professional actions, and structures) form the starting points for our research program. In general there are two research lines; 1) (Effects of) care and prevention and organization of youth care and 2) parenting.

The ACCY is the place where practice, policy, clients, education and science meet, work together, develop knowledge and exchange knowledge. We focus on knowledge development that can be used in practice (i.e. for professionals, volunteers and/or policy makers).

Three endowed professors and one senior researcher (dr Marielle Cloin) are linked to the ACCY.

• Prof. dr. Chijs van Nieuwenhuizen’s endowed chair 'Transforming Care for Youth' focuses on the perspective of youth in the process of the transformation of youth care, on knowledge development concerning the effectiveness of professional actions and on issues concerning the providers of youth and parenting support and the role of municipalities.
• Prof. Jolanda Mathijssen 's endowed chair 'Care for youth' focuses mainly on child, parent and counsellor factors, which influence the results of care.
• Prof. dr. Hedwig van Bakel’s endowed chair ‘Infant mental health’ focuses on parenting, infant mental health and attachment.