The Integration of Flexible Assertive Community Treatment with District Social Support Service Teams for Patients with Severe Mental Illness in the Netherlands: A Qualitative Analysis of Team Members’ Experiences

THEME	WHAT’S NEW IN TERMS OF:	KEY FINDINGS
1	Providing care-related activities?	Integrated intake & treatment plans Direct application to support service indications Use of alternative services promoting scaling down or discharge Improved awareness on distinction between treatment vs supports Reduced administrative burden & improved time-efficiency
2	Collaboration with the (local) network?	Improved communication and understanding
3	The client target population?	Faster recognition of target population Social worker’s key role in the enrolment of care-avoiders into FACT
4	What factors were experienced as important facilitators and barriers during the implementation process?	Facilitators: Strong leadership and vision Importance of ownership & culture change Reducing culture differences & emphasizing equal importance Establishing and maintaining personal/direct relationships between care professionals Barriers: Impact of external stressors Lack of experience of social workers in social domain

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.9794 | Journal eISSN: 1568-4156

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Language: English

Page range: 16 - 16

Submitted on: Apr 3, 2025

Accepted on: Jul 2, 2026

Published on: Sep 8, 2026

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

integrated care,

severe mental illness,

flexible assertive community treatment,

mental healthcare,

social services,

implementation

© 2026 Anne Kleijburg, Christien Muusse, Ben Wijnen, Joran Lokkerbol, Pim Candel, S. Kor Spoelstra, E. C. Marjolijne de Jong, Silvia Evers, Hans Kroon, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 26 (2026): Issue 3