Some 20% of elderly and handicapped people in the Netherlands have no social network to help them with everyday tasks and simple care, according to a report by the government’s social policy institute SCP.

The government is keen to ensure people turn to their families and friends for help rather than local councils in a shift to what they call the ‘participation society’, a strategy launched in 2013.

For example, home help services for the frail elderly and disabled are being sharply reduced and it has become more difficult to get a place in a nursing home.

The SCP figures show that in 2014, 2.2 million Dutch people had some form of help at home, most of which was provided by friends, family and neighbours. The research is ongoing and will run until 2017, when the impact of government cutbacks will become more visible.