Health Care Chaplaincy in the Netherlands

DUTCH ASSOCIATION OF SPIRITUAL CAREGIVERS IN HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS (VGVZ)

The Association of Spiritual Caregivers in Healthcare Institutions (Vereniging van Geestelijk Verzorgers in Zorginstellingen: de VGVZ) is a professional body for spiritual caregivers working in healthcare in the Netherlands.
Spiritual care/chaplaincy in healthcare institutions is the professional and ministerial support and help given to patients, by helping them to give meaning to their life, based on their belief or ideological conviction and by giving professional advice in ethical and/or ideological care and management.

History
The Association of Spiritual Caregivers was founded in 1971 when the Roman Catholic and the Protestant Hospital Associations joined into a National Council of Hospitals. In line with this development, being aware that chaplaincy services belong to all kinds of hospitals, the non-denominational as well as the denominational, the Roman Catholic and the Protestant Associations of Chaplains in Healthcare Institutes united into one association. Several years later the Humanist and the Jewish chaplains joined the association. A few years ago Imams and Pandits, active as spiritual caregivers in healthcare, also became members of the association. From the beginning the association worked on developing the quality of the profession of spiritual caregiver. The Association is in active contact with the government, employer-organizations, churches and other denominational-institutes, insurance-companies and patient organizations. Spiritual care has for many years been integrated into the central budget financing system of the national care insurance companies. In 1995 spiritual care was given legal status in the Quality Law for Healthcare Institutes. In 1995 and in 2002 the groups mentioned above agreed on The Professional Standards of Spiritual Care in Healthcare Organisations www.vgvz.nl/userfiles/files/Professional%20Standard%20Spiritual%20Counsellors%202005.pdfThe standards contain a profession profile, description of the tasks and the quality demands and the professional code. In 2007 a new registration system was developed.

Structure
The VGVZ counts about 825 members. A spiritual caregiver can become a member

when he/she is working in a healthcare institute for a minimum of 8 hours per week;
when he/she has an academic degree in theology or in humanistic science;
when he/she has a commitment to a church or an ideological society.

The association consists of six sections: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Humanist, Jewish, Islamic and Hindu; and six working-fields: general hospitals, psychiatric institutes, nursing homes and homes for the elderly, institutions for the mentally disabled and rehabilitation centres and youthcare. A member belongs to one section and one working-field. Each section and working-field has its own council and provides a delegate for the general board, that looks after the common interests of spiritual care (see Objectives). The sections and working-fields support the special interests related to the different churches, ideological organisations and working areas.

Objectives
The most important objective of the VGVZ is to promote and support spiritual care in healthcare. Therefore the Association supports:

the integration of spiritual care in healthcare
the development of the quality of spiritual care
professional training for spiritual caregivers
problem solving in the field of labour relations
collective labour conditions

Activities
The VGVZ realises its objectives through:

the organisation of symposia and annual meetings;
enabling scientific research;
the development of standards and quality systems;
the development of models for mutual contact among colleagues;
installing committees for preparing policies on relevant issues;
the publication of the Journal for Spiritual Care;
enabling training for spiritual caregivers in contact with institutes for education;
solving problems concerning labor relations;
working on collective employment conditions together with the Union (FBZ).

Communication
The association is autonomous and maintains a wide field of relations. There are many contacts with other organizations in the specific groups (see History). There are contacts with academic and post-academic institutes for education. There are international contacts with the European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy and other professional associations for healthcare chaplaincy (England, USA).

Important issues for the future

to develop spiritual care in extramural healthcare settings;
to implement the Professional Register;
to further develop models for quality-testing systems and mutual contact;
to keep in touch with development of healthcare in the Netherlands on the national level in all its different aspects;
to improve the structure of our organization;
to evaluate the commitment to a church or an ideological society (see Structure) as prescribed for membership of the VGVZ;
to improve and research the financial position of spiritual caregivers in contact with the government;

Simon Evers

Simon Evers has been the president of VGVZ since June 7th, 2010.
He was born in 1959 and active as chaplain in the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (Amsterdam – www.olvg.nl ) since 1996. From 1979 until 2001 he was a Benedictine of the St Andrew's Abbey in Bruges (Belgium) and there he was ordained a priest in 1988. He is now a priest of the Diocese Haarlem-Amsterdam.

He studied theology in Bruges and Rome. His hobbies are organizing and conducting trips, especially to Rome and Italy, to go hiking and listening to classical music.

Robert Koorneef

Drs.Robert Koorneef has been council secretary of the VGVZ since 2006.
He was born in 1956 and has a lat-relationship (living alone apart) with his girlfriend. He has two two children: 24 (daughter) and 22 (son) years old. He is a protestant and a member of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN). As a chaplain he works in the Martini Hospital in Groningen (www.martiniziekenhuis.nl).
Robert writes, "In my free time I engage myself with collecting (skating)books, exercising yoga, skating and long distance walks, visiting art cinemas, reading literature."

Marianne van der Wal

Drs Marianne van der Wal is the treasurer of VGVZ.

She was born in 1950 and has three children between 28 and 33 years old and a little grandchild of 3. She is a humanist and works 3 days a week in the Academic Hospital in Amsterdam, the AMC (www.amc.nl). She has worked for 15 years in the children hospital of the AMC. She practices yoga and likes to write stories for her grandchild.

Anneke Kemper

Drs Anneke Kemper is the former President of VGVZ and a member of ENHCC Committee.. She writes: "I have five children between 20 and 14. I am Roman Catholic by baptism and work full time in Mediant, a psychiatric institute in Enschede, Holland. I also have another little job, a teacher in practical theology for eight hours a week.
I like sports: hockey, tennis and running. I am learning to sing."

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Register of Spiritual Caregivers in Healthcare

Foundation for Quality Register of Spiritual Caregivers (SKGV)
Website: www.registergeestelijkverzorgers.nl
The SKGV is responsible for the register of spiritual caregivers in healthcare institutions. The register is owned by the registered members of the Union of Spiritual Caregivers in Healthcare institutions (VGVZ).
History
In March 2000 the Board of the VGVZ decided to implement a system of registration for the professional group of spiritual caregivers in healthcare institutions. The ongoing professionalization of the group was considered a good opportunity to establish a quality-system relevant to every professional within the group. Since 1992 legal developments in the Netherlands resulted in a Quality Law for Healthcare institutions in 1996. A number of organizations do not resort under this law and decided to develop their own quality register. At the time spiritual caregivers were not mentioned in the law since they are not clinicians. Fortunately article 3 in the new law refers directly to the need to regulate spiritual care: “ As for the care needed in an institution where a patient or client is for a period of at least twenty-four hours, the caregiver provides for the availability of a spiritual caregiver relevant to the religion or ideological conviction of the patient or client.” This statement has been an extra impulse for the Board to establish a quality register of the professional group.
A first initiative by the board was to install a Committee Registration, that came out with a report to the member- meeting in 2001 and 2005. In march 2006 the members were consulted and via a web forum they were offered the possibility to react on the proposals of the Committee. In the meantime a professional standard and code were agreed upon in 2002.
Taking into account the reactions on the proposals the Board looked at comparable groups and took up contact with the different organizations from which the spiritual caregivers receive their mission. The board then formulated a proposal that guaranteed a balanced model that on the one hand contained the qualitative demands required in a system and on the other hand took into account the feasibility for the professional union like the VGVZ and its members.
This finally resulted in a decision by the members-assembly on march 26th 2007 to establish a register. The register started formally on January 1st 2008 and was officially opened by the Minister of Justice, prof. dr. E.M.H.Hirsch Ballin on June 9th 2008.
To date (summer 2010) nearly 500 spiritual caregivers have enrolled in the register.
Structure/Organization
Eventually the SKGV aims to develop a wide register for all categorical spiritual caregivers working in healthcare institutions, the department of justice and the department of defense. As it is the register is exclusively for members of the VGVZ and is therefore concerned only with spiritual caregivers in healthcare institutions. There is contact with those working in the armed forces and in the department of justice about joining in.
The Register is looked after by the registered members of the VGVZ. From their midst a board has been appointed that forms an integral part of the VGVZ. If and when others mentioned above will start taking part in the register a separate independent foundation will be set up, in which others besides the VGVZ will participate. A formal decision about this will take place in due time in a special meeting. The board can in its dealings be supported by committees, at least one Education Testing Committee , a Candidate Testing Committee and a Committee of Appeal.
The Education Testing Committee is concerned with developing criteria to test facilities for initial training and in-service training and subsequently the actual testing, recognition and visitation of academies .
The Candidate Testing Committee is concerned with assessing candidates of whom the registration has been refused by the organization.
The Committee of Appeal is concerned with cases of appeal brought up by candidates refused by the Candidate Testing Committee and cases of appeal brought up by academies and supervisors who did not pass the test.
Since August 1st 2010 the SKGV has a professional employee for 8 hours per week.
Objectives
The first objective of the Register is to define and to maintain the professional level of spiritual caregivers as deemed necessary by the professional group.
The second objective is to promote the external acceptance and recognition of the spiritual caregiver as a professional in the field where he or she is active.
The Register also aims at protecting the title of the profession of spiritual caregiver in institutions of care.
Communication
The SKGV is as yet a foundation dependent on the VGVZ and consequently it has many contacts with the VGVZ. Contacts are being maintained with centers for initial training and in-service training. The SKGV is affiliated to the ENHCC.
Important developments in the future

Developing a wide register where spiritual caregivers in the field of justice and defense can join in.
Together with the VGVZ arrive at legal protection of the title of spiritual caregiver.
Aiming at an obligation for registration for every spiritual caregiver to be admitted as such.

Robert Koorneef

Drs Robert Koorneef is president of SKGV, the Foundation Quality register Spiritual Caregivers since January 1st 2008.

Marianne van der Wal

Drs Marianne van der Wal is the secretary of the SKGV.

Simon Evers

Simon Evers is the treasurer of the SKGV

He studied theology in Bruges and Rome. His hobbies are organizing and conducting trips, especially to Rome and Italy, to go hiking and listening to classical music.

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Anneke Kemper