Ensuring youth mental health support Across the Dutch-German border

Along the Dutch-German border, families face unexpected hurdles when seeking psychiatric care for their children. Despite the proximity of well-established providers like Karakter, child and adolescent psychiatry, legal and administrative obstacles complicate access to cross-border healthcare services.

Katrin Bringmann, a clinical psychologist and project leader at Karakter, and her team work to improve the mental well-being of children and adolescents by providing effective, evidence-based, and affordable care that is tailored to their individual needs. They operate within the Dutch healthcare system and emphasize treatment that considers the child’s potential, as well as their family and social context.

"Due to our location along the Dutch-German, we frequently encounter Dutch-speaking families residing in Germany who seek care from our Dutch-speaking professionals. However, despite our commitment to being accessible to all children and adolescents in need, we face challenges in securing funding for their treatment under the current cross-border healthcare regulations”, Katrin explains.

Indeed, the German and Dutch regulations on access, service scope, and reimbursement for child psychiatric treatments are very different and often incompatible. This creates administrative difficulties and financial burdens for parents and insurers when children living in Germany seek psychiatric care in the Netherlands.

“Recognizing the urgency of this issue, we have partnered with b-solutions to address these barriers and advocate for a sustainable solution. Our goal is to ensure that all children, regardless of their place of residence, receive the mental health support they need”, she says

With the support of b-solutions experts Anton Bouwmeister and Marlene Plaß, potential solutions were explored:

• Modifying Dutch legislation to allow children living in Germany but insured in the Netherlands to access care in the Netherlands

• Opening psychiatric offices in Germany to ensure access to Dutch specialists.

• Establishing cooperation agreements between psychiatric facilities and German health institutions, such as Krankenkasse, to facilitate reimbursement and streamline communication.

Katrin reflects on Karakter’s involvement: “The collaboration with b-solutions and the experts was efficient, smooth, and provided concrete advice. Our goal is to ensure that all children, regardless of their place of residency, have access to the psychiatric care they need. While we have not yet fully achieved this, our participation in b-solutions has been instrumental in making progress. We are taking concrete steps toward finding sustainable solutions for vulnerable children and their families.”

Moving forward, Karakter has entered a second phase of b-solutions. This new stage brings additional expert support and a sub-grant to organize an event that will bring relevant stakeholders and authorities together to progress on a solution.

“What makes this experience even more valuable is the opportunity to advance to the second stage and actively search for a concrete solution,” she says. “It is encouraging to see that the mental well-being of children and adolescents is taken seriously, and that there are dedicated resources to address these challenges.”

As Karakter continues its work, this second phase of b-solutions marks a crucial step forward. The additional expert guidance and financial resources provide a stronger foundation for raising awareness and ultimately breaking down cross-border healthcare barriers.

“With continued effort, we hope to ensure that all children—regardless of where they live—can access the psychiatric care they need,” Katrin affirms.

This initiative highlights the importance of collaboration in shaping inclusive healthcare policies, ensuring that no child is left behind due to bureaucratic hurdles.