ABSTRACT
The enhancement of community-based, ambulant care for children with serious behavioural problems (in German: "Ambulantisierung") implies supporting them as long as possible in their own family environment. One tries to avoid an out-of-home placement. This policy, strongly underlined during the last 20 years, shows merits but also raises questions. The emphasis on ambulant care and treatment was coupled with a decline in availability and appreciation of residential childcare services. Based on a theoretical model of family support and relevant empirical findings in the field we plead in favor of a complementary role for ambulatory and non-ambulatory services; both directed at lending professional support to children and families in need of care.
Subject(s)
Ambulatory Care , Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Patient Admission , Adolescent , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Combined Modality Therapy , Family Therapy , Germany , Humans , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
Much has been invested in the development of dealing with problematic childrearing situations in a professional diagnostic way in the Netherlands over the past few decades. In this article three developments that have been of importance in this respect will be discussed. In connection with these developments the so-called Hypothetical Testing Model (HTM) has been drawn up. Beside the fact that the Hypothetical Testing Model can provide precise guidelines for the training of future professionals as well as for the work of current professionals, general underlying assumptions of the model will be discussed in regard to the qualitative improvement of the care and the active involvement of the clients.
