The selective interpretation of care needs is often accompanied by the devolution of responsibilities from national to provincial and/or local authorities (Rostgaard et al. 2011). The belief here is that local authorities are best able to adjudicate the needs of vulnerable citizens as their physical proximity allows for integrated care provision tailored to individual needs. Local variation in service levels is allowed or even encouraged, creating a multitude of local welfare cultures (Trydegård & Thorslund 2001; Cochrane 2004). Rather than enjoying uniform rights, citizens negotiate care that is necessary in a given context (Cox 1998). For example, the Dutch national government devolved many responsibilities for care to municipalities in 2007 and 2009-2010. In their gatekeeping procedures, many municipalities do not speak of assessments but rather of ‘kitchen table conversations’ (Peters 2012). The rhetoric suggests a cosy atmosphere in which municipal representatives visit needy citizens in their homes.
http://dare.uva.nl/document/2/132116

In the vision of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (vng), part of the new way of working is a broad-based introductory interview with applicants to ascertain the need for support. A large majority of municipalities reported that they had devoted more attention in 2010 than in 2007/2008 to the functioning of applicants in various domains of life. This is reflected in the greater number of municipalities which began paying attention to specific individual aspects and life domains, in particular daily activities and mental health. A large majority of municipalities also reported that they had begun looking more closely at what the applicant themselves or those close to them were able to do. Most municipalities reported little or no change in the interpretation of the compensation duty through general, collective or individual provisions.

The above interviews are often described as ‘kitchen table meetings’. This suggests that they take place in the applicant’s home. According to the notes to the new vng template, this meeting should take place in the referral phase that precedes the application phase.
As was the case before the introduction of the Wmo, however, in practice these meetings may also take place as a result of a formal application. Regardless of the phase in which the home visits took place, more than half of municipalities reported making more home visits in 2010 than in 2007/2008. Something over a third reported that their policy on home visits had not changed.
https://www.scp.nl/dsresource?objectid=b012cfec-3ea1-468a-81...