Listening Writer

For anyone who wants to do something for parents and families affected by the childcare allowance affair.

A foundation by and for parents of the benefits affair
For years, parents have been wrongly accused by the Inland Revenue as fraudsters, with unprecedented emotional, relational and financial consequences. There are unfortunately tens of thousands of families suffering from the consequences of the benefits affair and they are still waiting for recovery. You can provide immediate support and make a difference to a family as a volunteer of the (Equal) Recovery Foundation.

Since October 2023, the (Equitable) Recovery Foundation has offered a people-centred recovery approach developed by parents and independent (personal injury) experts. We work from self-direction, trust, neutrality and collectivity. Our goal is to resolve the benefits affair together in an accelerated manner and to offer parents the opportunity for emotional and financial recovery.

To be able to do this for the many affected parents, we need you! Where you can make a difference to a parent by joining us as a Listening Writer.

This is what you do as a Listening Writer
Central to the recovery route is the parent's own story, the Factual Story. To get this down on paper, the parents (the Narrators) are supported by a Listening Writer: a volunteer from the community who listens without judgement and writes down the parent's Factual Story. For the parent, the Factual Narrative consists of 3 parts: who were you before all the misery started, where are you now and where do you want to go? The moment the Factual Narrative is on paper, the parent can choose to have it read through. Thus, as a volunteer, you make an important contribution to the parent's emotional and financial recovery.

Maybe you have been following the news for years, the benefits affair grips you, you feel the urgency, and you want to do something concrete. By helping, you are effectively saying to the people concerned: I see and believe you. It is precisely this equality that motivates you to contribute your time and skills.

As a person, you connect easily, equally and respectfully. You open up and are curious about the person concerned. You can listen deeply, openly and without prejudice. You dare to keep asking questions and know how to create a safe environment. You are a fellow resident of the Netherlands. We advise you to apply from the age of 21, because impactful events will be discussed during the interview. Some life experience is required to handle these well.

It is necessary to own a laptop and/or tablet in combination with a smartphone. Some IT skills are also nice: both the Storyteller and Listening Writer work in our online Portal.As a Listening Writer, you will take part in a digital Starting Meeting (1 hour) so that you can learn more about the role of Listening Writer and get off to a good start.

Practice shows that being a Listening Writer requires between 10 and 15 hours on average. This can vary, as the parent is in charge of the process and determines the speed.

Sign up too!
Do you also want to make a difference by connecting with a parent? Do you want to contribute to our goal of resolving the surcharge affair faster? There are surcharge parents in every region of the Netherlands, including your region. Then sign up and become part of our independent collective.