Summary - From East to West

Original title: Van oost naar west

The accession of Poland to the European Union in 2004, followed by Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, has led to an increase in the number of migrants coming from those countries to the Netherlands. How are the children of these migrants faring in the Netherlands? Are they settling in well or are they are experiencing difficulties in fitting in?

In this report, parents talk about the lives of their children in the Netherlands. The report focuses on migrants who are entered in the Dutch population registers. They provide information on the lives of their children within the family (parenting and their relationship with their children) and elsewhere (education, social contacts, sport and leisure time). They also give their views on the health and well-being of their children as well as any problem behaviour. Finally, the report looks at the parents’ own background, the context in which their children live and the use of services such as child care and healthcare.

This study is a follow-up to the exploratory study ‘Polish, Bulgarian and Romanian children in the Netherlands’ (Poolse, Bulgaarse en Roemeense kinderen in Nederland) and was carried out at the request of the Integration and Communities Department  (Directie Integratie en Samenleving) of the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.