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Social Support Act (Wmo)

The Social Support Act is designed to foster the life skills and social participation of citizens and to increase the social cohesiveness of Dutch society. The Act incorporates a compensation duty, whereby local authorities must compensate citizens in a number of areas for the consequences of their impairments, where appropriate by providing equipment or services, for example to help with running a household, to be mobile and use means of transportation or engaging in social contacts.

Local authority performance targets

Local authorities are required to meet targets in nine areas, including:

  • promoting social cohesion and liveability;

  • promoting social and life skills and participation for people with impairments;

  • supporting informal carers and volunteers.


Local authorities are free to decide for themselves how they set about meeting these targets, and are accountable at local level for their performance.

Research at SCP

At the request of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, SCP periodically evaluates the functioning of the Social Support Act . It does this by gathering information from Wmo coordinators, stakeholders and citizens.

More Wmo research

MOVISIE is a national knowledge institute and consultancy specialising in social development. This Dutch institute offers practical knowledge, advice and solutions for addressing social issues in relation to welfare, participation, care and social safety.
Local authorities are required to submit certain information about their Wmo policy to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport each year. Residents can go to the website watdoetjegemeente.nl to see how the policy pursued by their own local authority compares with that of other municipalities.

More information