“The Power of Buying Without Watching: How a TV Program is Sparking Interest in Foster Care”

In the episode of Koop Zonder Kijken, in which people outsource the purchase of a house, we saw how Paul and Kim were helped to find a home. The couple took in three foster children two years ago.

Shortly afterwards, the telephone of Pleegzorg Nederland was red hot. Where there are normally about 60 registrations per week, there were now more than 300. “It is wonderful to see how interest in this is being sparked,” says Nicolien van den Berg of Pleegzorg Nederland.

Shortage

The new growth is very welcome, because foster care organizations throughout the Netherlands are facing a shortage of foster parents. At the end of 2021, around 900 children were waiting for foster parents, according to figures from Pleegzorg Nederland.

However, the hundreds of registrations do not mean that we will actually get that many foster parents. “After registering, you will receive additional information and a foster care provider,” explains Van den Berg. Then people can participate in an information meeting, followed by family research.

In the end, about a quarter of the people who sign up actually become foster parents. “You are going to raise someone else’s child. That is a responsibility. But a nice responsibility.”

Tangible

The fact that so many people have registered is, according to communication expert Lars Duursma, due to the power of images. “When you read about foster families in a form, it doesn’t appeal to you. But when you actually see them, it really sinks in. The same goes for organ donation. When you’re confronted with it, something like that suddenly becomes tangible and important.”

According to Duursma, TV has more impact than a newspaper headline in that respect. “Years ago, there was a lot of attention for migration flows. The image of the boy on the beach brought the situation closer. Just like the well-known photo of the girl in Vietnam. And the images of Ukraine. When we see something with our own eyes, it really gets through to us.”

According to Duursma, a program such as Buying Without Watching has more impact than an advertisement. “You hear the story of two sympathetic people for an hour. That does something to you.”