How we work

How we work

We are happy to listen to your questions and concerns and think along with you about solutions that suit your situation. We are there for all residents of the municipality of Utrecht who can use temporary support in the areas of, for example: parenting, education, money, work, growing older, safety, and so on. Our support is free.

On this website you will find useful information about all kinds of subjects and activities. Hopefully you can continue with it. On this page we would like to explain how we work.

Do you need more information or support? Contact the neighborhood team in your district or at your school.

Find your neighborhood team

Drawn image showing that customized assistance consists of assistance in groups, online assistance and/or individual assistance.

First contact with your neighborhood team.
Our working method in brief:

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Welcome to the neighborhood team.
Residents of Utrecht can contact us for support.
If you have a question about, for example, raising children and growing up, education and
study, financial matters or healthy aging, we are here for you.
We are always close by.
Feel free to call, email or visit the neighborhood team in your area.
The registration and contact employee will discuss your question with you and see whether you can
you're in the right place.
Can we help you?
You will then receive an invitation for an initial interview.
It may be that your request for assistance can be better handled by another organization.
arrested
We will then help you get in touch with them.
When you register you will receive access to a personal place in our online
customer portal.
You will receive an invitation for this by email.
The customer portal is an online protected area where you can find all your data, plan and
goals and other documents can easily be found and modified.
The first meeting can take place with the neighbourhood team, for example in a community centre
or at your home.
We will look together at what fits.
You can always ask someone to be present at this conversation.
For example, a family member, friend or other acquaintance.

You can also request independent client support from U Centraal.
If you need support, we will make a plan together.
In the plan we describe the goals you want to achieve.
And how to achieve those goals.
Then you start working with the neighborhood team.
This can be together with others, individually or, for example, with an online training.
Ultimately, what matters is that you receive help with your request for help.
And that you know how to continue without professional help from the neighborhood team.

Call, email or come by

You can contact the neighborhood team in your district or at your school in several ways. You can call, email, or stop by to make an appointment for an initial meeting.

Contact

Invitation for an initial interview

Naturally, you will always receive a response from us to your question. If we believe we can help you upon your registration, you will receive an invitation from us. During a one-on-one meeting or a kick-off meeting, we will look with you at how best to answer your question. If we think you would be better helped by another organization, we will let you know. If you wish, we can put you in touch with that organization. Please note: this does not apply to organizations that provide supplementary youth care.

Online customer portal

After registering, you will gain access to our client portal, Mijn-Buurtteam . We will send you an invitation for this via email. The client portal is a secure online space where you safely store all your data, your plan and goals, and other documents, and can easily retrieve them.

First conversation

You will be assigned at least one dedicated contact person within the neighborhood team. The first meeting can take place at your home, at our office, or during a kick-off meeting. You can always ask someone to be present, such as a family member, friend, or other acquaintance. You can also bring a customer support representative from U Centraal or someone from JeugdStem along.

During the conversation we will discuss your questions and concerns. We will also discuss what you may have already done and can still do to improve your situation. If you need support, we will make a plan together that will help you move forward.

Plan

In the support plan, we describe your current and desired situation, the goals you want to achieve and how you can achieve those goals. We include in the plan what is going well and what could be improved. We write the plan together. Then you get started with it. We remain involved. If necessary, we support you in the implementation of your plan. 

Achieving your goals

You can achieve the goals in your plan in different ways, namely by:

  • involve your friends, family and/or neighbors in your plan. How can they help you achieve your goals?
  • contact organizations that are active in your neighborhood and can help you achieve your goals. In all neighborhoods of the municipality of Utrecht, many organizations are active in various areas such as financial matters, safety, education, etc. 
  • to participate in (online) meetings with other people who have approximately the same questions or concerns.
  • taking an (online) course or training.
  • conversations with a neighborhood team employee (live or online).
Exit support

If you have reached your desired situation and your goals, the support from the neighborhood team can be stopped. You can continue on your own!

Frequently asked questions

Yes, we handle your data confidentially. You can read more about this in our privacy statement.