SOFT tulip

SOFT tulip improves the quality of life of persons with disabilities, elderly people and people with psychological challenges.

Overall Objective
Improving the quality of life and the quality of services for people with special needs, through capacity building, strengthening of civil society and policy changes. objectives
the development of the capacities of care service providers and people with special needs
the empowerment of local trainers to create sustainable capacities for independent development
the empowerment of

parents of disabled children to enhance their capacities and influence on and cooperation with the service providers and governmental institutions
the development of Early Childhood Intervention programs and policies to empower families and prevent institutionalization
facilitating the process of inclusive education, supported living, inclusive work, and leisure for people with special needs
to stimulate structural inclusive policies and quality of care through lobby & advocacy
to give opportunities to Dutch care experts to gain experience and to learn from their colleagues in other countries

24/08/2026

🇺🇦 24 August marks Ukraine's Independence Day — and 1991 also marks the year SOFT tulip was founded.

Since 2006, we've worked alongside Ukraine on a shared belief: that people with disabilities and mental health conditions deserve to live full lives within their own communities, not behind institution walls.

Over these years, together with our partners, we've strengthened:
🔹 A growing network of Early Childhood Intervention services, supporting families across the country
🔹 A peer-to-peer network of "change agents," professionals bringing their experience to colleagues nationwide
🔹 A training center for supported living, along with regular training by Dutch psychiatrists and supervision for social workers
🔹 National working groups shaping mental health reform in Ukraine
🔹 International partnerships (like AMUSE) connecting Ukraine with expertise across Europe.

None of this happened overnight — and none of it happened alone. It's the result of years of collaboration with local authorities, healthcare professionals, families, and communities across Ukraine.

Happy Independence Day, Ukraine. We're honoured to keep building this future with you. 💙💛

17/08/2026

"Real change happens when we don't simply help, but share expertise and learn from one another."

Andra Kranendonk, board member at Lelie zorggroep, has spent her career in healthcare — from ICU nurse to hospital leadership roles to the boardroom.

For Andra, SOFT tulip's partnership with Ukraine isn't about one-off visits or symbolic gestures. It's about knowledge exchange that lasts.

"Knowledge creates sustainability. When you educate people and help them develop their own competencies, the system can eventually function independently."

Lelie zorggroep’s expertise lies in care and support services, including dementia care, youth care, and care for people with Korsakoff syndrome. Rather than focusing on forms of care outside their field of expertise, Andra believes in collaborating from a position of humility: sharing only the knowledge that is genuinely helpful.

At the start of the full-scale invasion, Lelie zorggroep opened its doors to people fleeing Ukraine, including people with disabilities and elderly people who arrived with nothing.

"It was deeply impressive and emotionally intense... We did this not as a specialized refugee organization, but out of humanity and solidarity."

Looking ahead, Andra hopes for focused, well-defined projects with clear outcomes — and a leadership style rooted in the same values as good care itself:
"A good leader is not someone who controls everything from the top, but someone who creates the conditions for a team to function well."

Thank you, Andra, for your clarity, humility, and commitment to partnership built on mutual respect.

Read the full interview on our website (link in comments).

11/08/2026

What do families of children with disabilities really need — and are existing early childhood intervention services meeting those needs?

As part of the M-Power project, we asked both sides. Two international surveys gathered responses from 174 parents and 100 professionals across Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Romania, with the data analysed by Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca.

And despite looking at the system from different perspectives, parents and professionals tell us remarkably similar things. Parents value the expertise of professionals and see the positive impact of early intervention on their children. But they also point to significant gaps: psychological support for parents, stress management, continuity of care, coordination between services, and equal access to resources.

Professionals see many of the same challenges. They highlight delays in accessing support, fragmented health, education and social care systems, difficult transitions between services, and insufficient psychological support for families.

The message from both surveys is clear:
Early childhood intervention cannot focus only on the child. We need to support the whole family.

Key takeaways:
✔ Children achieve better outcomes when families are recognised and supported as active partners in early intervention.
✔ Timely access to services and better coordination between institutions remain major challenges.
✔ Parents need emotional and psychological support alongside professional guidance.
✔ Stronger collaboration between health, education and social care is essential.
✔ Investing in professionals — including their communication, counselling and family-support skills — strengthens the quality of family-centred services.

These findings will now inform the next phase of M-Power: we will use them to develop resources focused on peer support, family resilience, stress management and emotional wellbeing — complementing professional services and helping families feel more connected, confident and supported.

Because better outcomes for children start with stronger support for the people closest to them.
You can read the full article by link in comments.

06/08/2026

When Eric Bloemkolk first travelled to Ukraine in 2006, he visited several post Soviet-era institutions for children with disabilities: they call them internats.

What he saw was devastating: children were severely malnourished. Many received little stimulation or rehabilitation. The staff had almost no training. For too many families, placing a child in an institution felt like the only possible choice.

Eric returned home with one conviction: this system had to change.
This year SOFT tulip celebrated 17 years of working in Ukraine, and for Eric, it was a particularly emotional milestone. He has now visited Ukraine more than 100 times (perhaps 150!), working alongside many of the same people he first met almost two decades ago.

Looking back, one initiative stands out as one of SOFT tulip's greatest achievements in Ukraine: Early Childhood Intervention (ECI).
The idea was inspired not only by Eric's professional experience, but also by his personal story: his first son was born with significant brain damage. Thanks to timely, family-centred support in the Netherlands, his son developed well and went on to live a full life.

That experience raised a simple but powerful question:
What if Ukrainian families could receive the same support before they were ever forced to consider institutional care?

That question became the foundation of Early Childhood Intervention in Ukraine. The main principles are:

❤️ Support families, not just children.
Parents are not passive recipients of care, they become the most important partners in their child's development.

🏡 Work where life happens.
Support takes place at home, within the family's everyday routines, not only during one-hour appointments at a centre.

🤝 Empower instead of replace.
Professionals don't "take over." They help parents gain the confidence and practical skills to support their child every day.

🧠 Act early.
The first three years of life are when around 90% of brain connections develop, making early intervention one of the most effective forms of prevention.

🌱 Prevent institutionalisation.
The greatest success is not improving life inside institutions—it's ensuring children never have to enter them.

👩‍⚕️ One family, one multidisciplinary team.
Medical and social professionals work together around the family instead of sending parents through fragmented systems.

Seventeen years later, what began with one pilot team has become a national movement:
• nearly 180 Early Childhood Intervention teams across 16 regions of Ukraine;
• more than 130 professionals united in the National Association of Early Intervention;
• and, most recently, state funding for the specialists delivering these services.

Especially during the war, this work has become even more important. Families are not only caring for children with developmental challenges, they are also living with displacement, uncertainty, and loss. ECI gives them something priceless: knowledge, confidence, and hope.

03/08/2026

The “Active Recovery Triad (ART)” method is now being introduced in Ukraine.

Recovery is about helping people regain hope, rebuild relationships, make their own choices and find meaning in everyday life.

Together with GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord, SOFT tulip has introduced the Active Recovery Triad (ART) approach to Ukraine through a peer-to-peer training programme for staff working in residential care institutions (internats) in the Zakarpattia region.
The training was delivered in Turya Remeta, Mukachevo No. 1, and the Mukachevo Women's Internat, equipping care professionals with practical tools to support recovery-oriented mental health care.

At the heart of the Active Recovery Triad (ART) is a simple but transformative idea: recovery is something we build together.
Rather than placing professionals at the centre of the process, ART brings together three equal partners; the client, their family or support network, and care professionals. Together, they define meaningful goals, make decisions, and share responsibility for the recovery journey.

This also changes the conversation. Instead of asking, "What is wrong with you?", ART encourages us to ask, "What matters to you?"

Throughout the programme, participants explored practical ways to put this philosophy into action by:
✔ focusing on people's strengths instead of their limitations;
✔ actively involving families and support networks in the recovery process;
✔ recognising and addressing stigma and self-stigma;
✔ turning recovery goals into concrete, achievable actions;
✔ supporting people to make their own choices and take meaningful steps towards greater independence.

The four-session programme introduced care professionals to the principles of Active Recovery Triad (ART) and how to apply them in everyday practice. Participants learned how recovery goes beyond symptom management by supporting people in rebuilding their identity, relationships, daily routines, and social participation.

Through practical exercises, case discussions, and real-life examples, they explored recovery-focused communication, shared decision-making, the role of families and support networks, and concrete tools for helping clients take meaningful steps toward greater independence and a better quality of life.

As Rene Keet from GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord puts it:
"Even small changes, such as asking a different question, supporting instead of taking over, or involving one network member more consciously, can help recovery become visible in daily life."

A big thanks to the trainers K. and Licht their advisors Bahler and Weijts, Roshkovych for translation and coordination and the Department of Social Policy of Zakarpattia Oblast for their leadership and commitment to transforming mental health care in Ukraine.
This movement is another important step towards person-centred, recovery-oriented care and the ongoing transition from institutional care to community-based support.

Together, we are proving that recovery is possible, and that hope can become part of everyday practice.

A brief history of the method

ART wasn't built in a lab, it grew out of practice. Between 2014 and 2016, a large group of stakeholders in Dutch long-term mental health care — care workers, policy advisors, managers, directors, researchers, peer workers, and family representatives — spent two and a half years developing the model together, in response to a clear gap: while recovery-oriented thinking had already transformed short-term and community mental health care in the Netherlands, it had barely reached long-term residential care, where roughly 21,000 people still relied on largely traditional, problem-oriented support.

ART was formally introduced in the Netherlands in 2016. Since then, it has been adopted by more than 20 mental health organisations across the country, with a model fidelity scale (the "ART monitor") developed to track how closely teams implement its principles in practice — and research has since linked stronger adherence to the model with better recovery outcomes and higher satisfaction among both service users and their families.

Now, that same model is crossing borders — into Zakarpattia's internats.

22/07/2026

New research: 174 parents of children with developmental disabilities across Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Romania were asked one simple question — did the early childhood intervention system actually support YOU, not just your child?

The answers reveal a painful gap in our care systems.

The good news first:
✅ 69% say specialists are competent and communicate well
✅ 68% report strong cooperation with their child's care team
✅ 58% feel like a genuine part of their child's support team
✅ 60% got clear information when they enrolled
✅ 57% see real progress in their child's development
✅ 54% found services affordable.

Now the part nobody talks about:
🚨 55% received ZERO support transitioning from hospital to home
🚨 44% received no support navigating home-to-center transitions
🚨 44% couldn't get help for their OWN mental health when they needed it
🚨 39% say services did nothing to reduce their stress
🚨 34% say services didn't address their stress as a parent AT ALL — the single worst score in the entire survey
🚨 32% got no help accessing resources or services for their family
🚨 23% never connected with another parent going through the same thing
🚨 Family-centered support is basically a coin flip: responses split almost evenly between "none," "some," and "a lot"

The conclusion?
We've built systems that excel at treating the child,while leaving the parent, who holds everything together, completely on their own. And this pattern holds true across all four countries, despite very different care models:
🇧🇬 Bulgaria & 🇷🇴 Romania lead on referrals and timely information
🇮🇹 Italy has strong clinical access but pushes families into private care and self-navigation
🇳🇱 The Netherlands has robust municipal support systems — but the weakest scores anywhere for parental emotional support.

The children are getting therapy. The parents are getting left alone at the exact moments they need someone most.

And this is exactly why we launched the M-Power project.
Through the international M-Power project (a partnership between Karin Dom Foundation, SOFT tulip, Fondazione Paideia and Babeș-Bolyai University), we are not letting these statistics stand. We believe that quality care for a child starts with a strong, fully supported family.

What we will achieve with M-Power:
🔹 Strengthen parent-to-parent networks - ensuring no parent has to go through this alone (peer support).
🔹 Protect emotional well-being - developing practical tools and training focused directly on parents' mental health.
🔹 Exchange knowledge across Europe - gathering best practices from the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria, and Romania into a practical Handbook.
🔹 Train professionals and parents together - closing the gap between care providers and families to make support truly family-centered.

The children are getting therapy. Now it’s time parents get the support they deserve.

Follow along for more updates about the M-Power project!
Full breakdown of the data (country-by-country) 👇
https://www.softtulip.nl/news/what-do-parents-of-children-with-developmental-disabilities-actually-need-results-from-a-four-country-eu-survey/

M-Power is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Note that views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

14/07/2026

"Every person is a human being before they are a patient."
For more than 15 years, Petra Moonen, manager at Parnassia Groep and volunteer with SOFT tulip, has dedicated her time to improving mental health care in Ukraine.

Since 2011, she has travelled every year with SOFT tulip to the Zakarpattia region, supporting professionals, visiting residential care institutions, and, most importantly, spending time with the people who live there.

Petra's approach is simple: start with the person, not the diagnosis.

She asks about dreams, hopes, and ambitions before discussing care plans. During one visit, a resident told her his dream was to return to his hometown. Instead of seeing an impossible wish, Petra helped him create a realistic, step-by-step plan to make it happen.

As she says:
"Making plans and talking about dreams helps people feel alive again. It reminds them that they still have choices."

Her story is a powerful reminder of why SOFT tulip continues to invest in Early Intervention and the transition from institutional care to community-based support. Every person deserves the opportunity to live with dignity, make choices, and be part of society.

Thank you, Petra, for your compassion, your dedication, and for showing that lasting change begins with genuine human connection!

Read the full interview on our website (link in comments).

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08/07/2026

Can you redesign an entire care system during a war? This week in Ukraine, that's exactly what we're working on.

For three days, experts from the Netherlands joined colleagues in Ukraine's Zakarpattia region to tackle one of the biggest challenges in social care: moving away from institutional care towards recovery-oriented, community-based support.

For SOFT tulip it was the continuation of years of partnership built on a belief that every person deserves the opportunity to recover, participate, and live with dignity.

Together with our long-standing partners from Parnassia Groep and GGZ Noord-Holland-Noord , we worked alongside the Department of Social Protection of the Zakarpattia Regional Administration Департамент соціального захисту населення Закарпатської ОДА and professionals from regional care institutions to explore what real transformation looks like.

Over three intensive days, we focused on:
➡️ Transforming residential institutions into modern rehabilitation and support centres.
➡️ Building financially sustainable care organisations that can thrive under Ukraine's evolving legal framework.
➡️ Investing in people by strengthening the skills of managers, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and care professionals.

One milestone of this visit was the completion of the Active Recovery Triad (ART) training programme. After months of online learning, professionals from three residential care institutions came together for practical workshops in Turia Remeta Psychoneurological Boarding Institution, Mukachevo Children's Boarding Institution and Mukachevo Psychoneurological Boarding Institution.

ART methodology represents a different philosophy of care: one that focuses on people's strengths, recovery, autonomy, and meaningful participation in society instead of simply managing illness or disability.

For us, this is what international cooperation should look like: not short-term missions, but working side by side, sharing expertise, adapting international best practices to the Ukrainian context, and creating lasting systemic change together.

Ieke Lammeren Rene Keet Petra Moonen Parnassia Groep

02/07/2026

What happens when you stop asking "What's wrong with this person?" and start asking "What is your strength?"

This simple shift is at the heart of the Active Recovery Triad (ART) methodology. Yesterday, our partner colleagues René Keet and Michiel Bahler (GGZ NHN) conducted an in-person ART training session at Turja Remeta Boarding Institution in Zakarpattia, Ukraine to exchange experience and support the implementation of recovery-oriented mental health care practices in Ukraine.

The Active Recovery Triad (ART) programme is built on sharing experience and mutual learning. Dutch professionals share recovery-oriented mental health care practices, while Ukrainian teams contribute their own expertise and practical experience. The most inspiring part was hearing how participants had already started putting these ideas into practice.

"We want to be part of Europe, so we are very eager to learn from you," said Ivan, the deputy director of the institution, expressing the team's strong commitment to improving the quality of care. René Keet (GGZ Noord-Holland-Nood) replied: "We are also here to learn from you."

During the session, several staff members shared how they have already started applying the ART approach in their daily work.

Sasha shared the story of a client who, after a long period away from home, was able to finally return to her family during the holiday season. This example became a meaningful part of the exchange: Ukrainian colleagues showed how recovery-oriented ideas can be adapted to their daily work, while Dutch partners could see how ART principles come to life in a different context.
For the client, the visit marked an important step in rebuilding family connections and moving forward in their recovery journey.

Mariana shared how a simple visit to a local shop with one of the clients had a meaningful impact. Although it may seem like an ordinary everyday activity, it helped the client reconnect with community life, strengthening their sense of inclusion, independence, and self-confidence.

Oksana spoke about working with a bedridden client whose care had previously focused almost entirely on physical needs. Inspired by the ART approach, the team began asking him what he wanted. His answer was simple: he wanted to go outside. Since then, staff have started taking him outdoors in his wheelchair. They report that he is now visibly happier, cries less, and shows a noticeable improvement in his overall wellbeing.

These stories remind us that recovery is often built through small, meaningful changes. By listening more carefully, focusing on people's strengths, and involving them in decisions about their own lives, care becomes more human and more effective.

This is another important milestone in our years long ongoing collaboration with Turja Remeta Boarding Institution.

Ieke Lammeren Petra Moonen Eric Bloemkolk

29/06/2026

A child in Lublin used a tablet app to say his first words in class.
At the same moment, his peers in Odesa were on day eight without electricity — running therapy sessions on generators, joining our international meeting from a city under war.

Both groups were part of the same project. Both showed up fully.
In December 2025, our SOFT tulip delegation travelled to Lublin, Poland, as part of the AMUSE project — a European partnership focused on inclusive education and AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) in Ukraine. What we saw over those four days reshaped how we think about our own work.

We visited Lublin's first integrated kindergarten, where children with and without disabilities learn together from age three — not as an experiment, but as a given. We spent time at MOZAIKA, a community centre where adults with autism and intellectual disabilities sail, garden, perform Shakespeare, and operate speech devices with their eyes. We co-developed an AAC textbook designed to work even when the internet is down and the power is out — because for our Ukrainian partners, that's not a hypothetical.

The throughline across every visit was the same quiet conviction: the goal is always adulthood. Every tool, every lesson, every pictogram is a step toward a life where a person can be heard — on their own terms, in their own way.

We came home with more than notes. We came home with a clearer sense of what inclusion actually looks like when it's built into the structure, not added as an afterthought.
Communication is a right. Not a privilege, not a milestone. A right — from the very beginning.

Thank you to our partners in Poland, Ukraine, Norway, and Estonia for reminding us why this work matters. 🌷

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