The Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country where much is regulated, and several departments have made rules, regulations, memoranda and even laws related to people with intellectual disabilities. Large organisations that offer different forms of support dominate the system of care and support. The policy on care for people with intellectual disabilities has, generally speaking, developed away from segregation and towards integration and inclusion. Changes have led to improvement for people with mild and moderate disabilities, although the process is slow. At the same time, the situation for people with profound and multiple disabilities has deteriorated. For a real change in the support system, client‐held budgets are believed to be of primary importance. However, this is still a slow development. This article describes the current organisation of care and support.