IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/hepoli/v152y2025ics016885102400229x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A good start for all children: Integrating early-life course medical and social care through Solid Start, the Netherlands’ nationwide action programme

Author

Listed:
  • Steegers, Eric A.P.
  • Struijs, Jeroen N.
  • Uijtdewilligen, Angela J.M.
  • Roseboom, Tessa J.

Abstract

The foundations of human wellbeing are laid in early life during the preconception stage and the 1,000-days of life from conception to the child's second birthday. This period is therefore receiving scrutiny as a concept for guiding pregnancy-care innovation and public health policy. The Dutch government took responsibility to invest in this. In September 2018, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport launched the Solid Start action programme. Coordinated nationally, the programme is implemented locally through coalitions in all 342 Dutch municipalities involving collaboration between medical and social-care professionals, policymakers, parents and organisations. The programme has generated a nationwide movement in which medical and social-care professionals now develop forms of structural collaboration that support (future) parents by offering evidence-based interventions that simultaneously enhance early healthy human development and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Although monitoring of the programme does not currently make it possible to address the causal effects of the programme itself, lessons can be distilled which have contributed to the successful implementation of this nationwide programme. These lessons include 1) having and maintaining an unambiguous narrative, 2) creating a lasting sense of urgency among stakeholders, and 3) ensuring that the programme is multi-sectoral.

Suggested Citation

  • Steegers, Eric A.P. & Struijs, Jeroen N. & Uijtdewilligen, Angela J.M. & Roseboom, Tessa J., 2025. "A good start for all children: Integrating early-life course medical and social care through Solid Start, the Netherlands’ nationwide action programme," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:152:y:2025:i:c:s016885102400229x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2024.105219
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016885102400229X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.healthpol.2024.105219?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:152:y:2025:i:c:s016885102400229x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu or the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/healthpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.