Leonieke Boendermaker

Leonieke Boendermaker is a full Professor of Implementation Issues in Youth Care at the University of Amsterdam (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences) and a lecturer in Youth Care at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Since February 2010 she has led the Youth Care lectorate at AUAS, and in 2021 she was appointed endowed professor at UvA, focusing on translating effective youth-care interventions into daily practice.

Education

• Bachelor/Master in (Social) Pedagogy – University of Amsterdam
• Master in Methods and Techniques of Social Research – Leiden University
• PhD (1999) – Utrecht University (dissertation on juvenile detention populations and working methods)

Research interests

Boendermaker’s research agenda centres on the development, implementation, quality and effectiveness of interventions for young people with serious behavioural problems, with particular attention to residential and 24-hour youth care and closed and juvenile justice care. She studies evidence-based practice, treatment integrity, implementation strategies, and the professional competencies required for relationship and sexuality education in child and youth social care.

Publication profile

Across more than 90 research outputs since 2008—including books, journal articles, reports, digital tools and datasets—her work consistently addresses how to translate scientific insights into usable tools for practitioners, such as practice profiles, competency frameworks and training programmes. The 2024 volume Effectief werken in de jeugdzorg (co-edited) synthesises state-of-the-art knowledge for Dutch youth-care professionals.

Scientific awards & recognition

• Betekenisvolle metingen (2016)
• Goede voorbeelden in kaart (2017)
• Implementatie strategieën bij Jeugdbescherming Amsterdam (2016)
• Lesgeven over seksualiteit (2017)
• Nieuwe vaardigheden voor de jeugdverpleegkundige (2017)

Leadership & grants

She is Editor-in-Chief of the professional magazine Jeugd in Ontwikkeling, has supervised multiple datasets on child unsafety and 24-hour care, and regularly organises national workshops and conferences. She serves as external examiner for PhD defences and participates in national implementation networks funded by Dutch ministries and municipal authorities.

Labs & teams

Boendermaker heads the Youth Care lectorate at AUAS, a multidisciplinary research group that collaborates closely with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and the University of Amsterdam, as well as with municipal services, residential care institutions and the Ministry of Justice and Security.