Every absence is logged. Repeated lateness triggers conversations. Schools also notify municipal attendance officers.
Support mechanisms are activated before a young person disappears from the system altogether. Sometimes pupils are signed off, increasingly with mental health issues like anxiety.
While they wait for the appropriate referrals, they are classified as “thuis zitters” literally translated as “people sitting at home”. The school still receives a budget for them, which can be used to cover the cost of external support.
Truancy without an explanation can trigger sanctions including fines, community service orders or juvenile supervision measures.
In England, if a child is skipping school without a valid explanation, local councils and schools can use various legal powers, including fines.
But the Dutch blueprint isn’t foolproof – youth unemployment is rising.
In response, the government is making it easier for young people to claim benefits, supported by the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency, or UWV, a body that supports these who are out of work, administers welfare payments, and helps connect jobseekers with employers.
For young people at risk of becoming Neet, it’s a one stop shop for support, guidance and opportunities.
Despite what she describes as a turbulent journey through school, Amelie believes that without the flexibility to change path along the way she might have dropped out altogether.
Now aged 20, she hopes to pursue a career in education and is currently training to become a teaching assistant at a vocational college in The Hague, ROC Mondriaan.
One day, she hopes she will be able to support young people who face the same challenges she once did.
