Eigen Kracht Centrale

What Eigen Kracht Centrale does

Eigen Kracht Centrale (Stichting Eigen Kracht Centrale) is a Dutch non-profit foundation headquartered in Zwolle that has facilitated more than 10,000 Eigen Kracht-conferenties (Family Group Conferences) since 2000. Its core product is a structured decision-making process in which an independent Eigen Kracht-coordinator — drawn from a national pool of 250–500+ freelance facilitators speaking more than 65 languages and dialects — supports a family and its broader social network in drafting a familiegroepsplan (family group plan) for challenges such as youth protection, housing loss, mental health crises, or reintegration. The methodology is rooted in the New Zealand Family Group Conference model and Dutch restorative-justice traditions.

The organization monetizes primarily through per-conference contracts paid by Dutch municipalities from Wmo (Social Support Act) and Jeugdwet (Youth Act) budgets, with conference prices ranging from approximately €2,000 for learning-focused cases to €4,500 for group, neighbourhood, or district conferences. A secondary revenue stream is professional training — including the SKJ-accredited 'Samenwerken met informeel netwerk' program (3 points) plus workshops, intervisie, coaching, and temporary expert detachering — targeted at social workers, jeugdbescherming, wijkteams, and healthcare professionals. Distribution combines direct municipal sales managed by regional managers (with named regional coverage of all 12 Dutch provinces), professional referrals, and self-service citizen requests via a national intake number and website. The foundation is co-founder of the European Family Group Conference Network (20+ countries) and is led by bestuurder Hedda van Lieshout following the death of founder Rob van Pagée in February 2025.

Name

Eigen Kracht Centrale

Legal name

Stichting Eigen Kracht Centrale

Website

https://eigen-kracht.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Eigen Kracht Centrale is a Dutch non-profit foundation that facilitates Family Group Conferences for citizens in vulnerable situations, delivering family-developed support plans to municipalities and care organizations across all 12 Dutch provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Group Conferencing / Social Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Family group conferencing
• Social work services
• Professional training
• Youth care support
• Community-based facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwolle

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Eigen Kracht-conferenties (conference facilitation): Municipalities and care organizations contract the Eigen Kracht Centrale to organize Eigen Kracht-conferenties for citizens. These are paid services where the foundation coordinates independent Eigen Kracht-coordinators who facilitate family group conferences. Pricing ranges from approximately €2,000 for learning-focused conferences to €4,500 for group, neighbourhood or district conferences. The organization signs written agreements with clients covering budget and invoicing terms.
2. Professional training and education: The Eigen Kracht Centrale provides training programs for professionals in social services, youth care, and healthcare sectors. Training includes 'Samenwerken met informeel netwerk' (accredited with 3 SKJ points), as well as workshops, intervision, coaching, and temporary expert deployment. Training is priced per group (max 12 participants) with custom quotes provided upon request.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Eigen Kracht Centrale facilitates Eigen Kracht-conferenties (Family Group Conferences) in which an independent citizen-coordinator supports individuals, families, and their social networks in designing their own care and support plans, often to prevent escalation such as out-of-home placements, evictions, or psychiatric admissions. In parallel, the foundation delivers accredited training, workshops, coaching, intervision, and temporary expert detachment to professionals in social services, youth care, healthcare, and municipalities across the Netherlands. Pricing for conferences ranges from approximately €2,000 to €4,500 depending on scope, while training is quote-based per group.

Product overview

Eigen Kracht Centrale offers a portfolio of services centered around the Eigen Kracht-conferentie (Family Group Conference), a decision-making model that enables individuals and families to develop their own plans with their social networks. The core offering is the Eigen Kracht-conferentie, supported by the Familiegroepsplan service. Additional offerings include accredited professional training programs (Samenwerken met informeel netwerk, Presentatie Familiegroepsplan), workshops, coaching, intervision, and temporary expert deployment. The organization serves citizens, municipalities, and care organizations across the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eigen Kracht-conferentie (Family Group Conference) A facilitated decision-making process in which an independent Eigen Kracht-coordinator supports an individual, family, and their social network in designing their own plan to address challenges such as youth-protection risk, eviction risk, mental-health crisis, custody disputes, elder care, or neighbourhood conflict. Aimed at Dutch citizens and families; contracted by municipalities (Wmo/Jeugdwet) and care organizations.
• Familiegroepsplan (Family Group Plan)

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ Eigen Kracht-conferenties organized since 2000
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Family Group Conference NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Eigen Kracht Centrale is a co-founder of the European Family Group Conference Network, which comprises organizations from more than 20 countries working to implement Family Group Conferences in their respective countries. Annual network meetings are held to share experiences and knowledge.
• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThere is a long-standing and intensive collaboration with IIRP in the field of restorative justice (herstellend werken). This movement originated in the US and Canada in the 1980s and has shaped the Eigen Kracht-conferentie model.
• EKC.be vzw (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn Belgium, citizens can also request an Eigen Kracht-conferentie through EKC.be vzw, which works in a comparable manner to the Dutch organization: from the vision that citizens have the right to make their own plan with their family and acquaintances, supported by independent citizen-coordinators.
• EurochildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Eurochild, a European network promoting children's rights and welfare.
• National Center for Family Group Decision Making (University of Colorado)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the National Center for Family Group Decision Making based at the University of Colorado, sharing knowledge and research on family group decision-making.
• Europees Forum voor Restorative JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the European Forum for Restorative Justice on issues of restorative justice and family group conferencing.
• KringwijsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKringwijs is listed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page. Kringwijs works on social network facilitation in the Netherlands.
• YpsilonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYpsilon is listed as a collaboration partner. Ypsilon is a Dutch organization focused on mental health and social support.
• Restorative Justice NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Mind (Wij zijn Mind)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Simba Familiezorg / SOS Kinderdorpen NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Simba Familiezorg project of SOS Kinderdorpen Nederland, focused on family strengthening and reunification, sharing workshops at joint symposiums.
• HaltminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Aurora (Voorkom Zelfdoding)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Slachtofferhulp NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Perspectief HerstelbemiddelingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• AKJ (Advies- en Klachtencommissie Jeugdzorg)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• CarinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Kwartier Zorg en WelzijnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page.
• Stichting Jess (Eigen Toekomst Plan / ETP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on the Samenwerkingen page. Stichting Jess implements Eigen Toekomst Plan (ETP), a related future planning methodology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Center for Family Group Decision Making (NCFGDM): US coordination and research center (rooted at the University of Colorado) for the family group decision-making movement; listed by EKC as a knowledge partner. Functions as the closest US analog for FGC methodology dissemination.
• Family Rights Group: UK charity advocating for and coordinating family-led decision making (family group conferences) in child welfare and social services. Operates the same core methodology in a different national jurisdiction and serves as the closest UK analog.
• EKC.be vzw: Belgian counterpart organization operating the same Eigen Kracht-conferentie methodology with independent citizen-coordinators. Functions as the franchised sister organization and is the most direct functional comparable.
• Restorative Justice Council: UK professional body for restorative practice, including family group conferencing. Comparable as a membership/standards organization for restorative and family-led decision-making practitioners, with overlapping training and accreditation functions.
• International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP): US-based training and research institute advancing restorative practices, which historically shaped the Eigen Kracht model. Listed as a long-standing strategic partner; offers overlapping professional training and certification programs to social-services practitioners.

Broad incumbents

• Jeugdzorg Nederland: Branch organization for Dutch youth-care providers, representing the institutional care sector that EKC's conferences are designed to prevent escalation into. Comparable as the incumbent ecosystem that EKC interfaces with and partially displaces.
• Sociaal Werk Nederland: Dutch professional association for social workers and the broader social-work sector. A larger, broader-scope incumbent whose members (wijkteams, youth-protection professionals) are both EKC's customers and referral channels.
• Nederlands Jeugdinstituut (NJi): Dutch national knowledge institute for youth policy and practice. A larger, publicly funded incumbent that shapes the Dutch youth-care landscape in which EKC operates; comparable as a reference point for sector scale and influence.

Others

• Eurochild: European network promoting children's rights and child welfare. Listed by EKC as a collaboration partner; comparable as an adjacent advocacy and policy network operating in the same social-services domain.
• European Forum for Restorative Justice: European membership network for restorative justice practitioners and researchers. Listed as a collaboration partner; comparable as the pan-European ecosystem organization in the adjacent restorative-justice field.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/eigenkrachtcentrale
• Facebookfacebook.com/eigenkrachtconferentie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eigen-kracht-centrale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eigen Kracht Centrale