The end of this legislature has been marked by a substantial increase in resources for youth assistance. Nearly 600 (582) additional places have thus been created in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation for children at risk since the start of the legislature. The budget, meanwhile, has increased by 33%. The Minister for Youth Assistance, Françoise Bertieaux, also wants to launch a series of initiatives before the end of the legislature. In particular, she wants to make it easier to turn to foster families. To do this, the Minister intends to draw on existing best practices both in Belgium and among our neighbours, and visited Arnhem (Netherlands) on 2 February. The aim is to enable institutional care to coexist with foster families and, within foster care itself, voluntary and professional foster families.
In the general philosophy of youth assistance, placement in an institution always remains the most extreme measure. As a first step, wherever possible, services try to keep the child within their family structure.
An intermediate arrangement between these two consists of placement with a foster family. A study by researcher Stéphanie Chartier (ULiège) tends to show that a foster family pathway is more often beneficial than institutional placement (a finding confirmed by French and Dutch studies). Turning to foster families also makes it possible to increase the outflow from these institutions while giving young people the emotional stability they need.
Institutions do essential work, but given the number of children each carer must look after, it is naturally not possible for them to build with every child the exclusive bond the child should have been able to develop with a parent. In concrete terms, a child may develop a special bond with a caring educator, but that educator cannot look after them exclusively and is not available every day.
The aim is not to pit institutions against foster families but to have one complement the other. Similarly, the idea behind professional foster families is to enable them to take in more challenging cases than those handled by voluntary foster families, following the example set in the Netherlands. Flanders is also developing a similar model.
Minister Françoise BERTIEAUX's aim is both to make this option easier to use, remove a number of practical obstacles faced by foster families, and enable those who wish to become more professional, drawing on Belgian and foreign examples. This project will be implemented in close collaboration with the various stakeholders in the sector, including trade unions.
The Minister for Youth Assistance, Françoise BERTIEAUX: "The end of the legislature is approaching, and it is certain that the time remaining will not allow me to complete all of these projects. But beyond the additional resources released in recent months, I believe it is essential to partly rethink the model for children at risk and in difficulty. Making greater use of foster families and introducing more flexibility in a number of areas seems to me a matter of common sense. I want to make progress wherever possible, particularly on the issue of “parked children”. I believe it is essential that we tailor our approach rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions for young people at risk. Other reforms, which cannot be rushed, will be completed by my successor. But I want them to have all the tools they need to move forward from the very start of the next legislature, in the interest of families and children at risk."
Preserving the “parent-child” bond at all costs: an ideal with its limits:
According to a study conducted by Stéphanie Chartier (ULiège), only a minority of children placed (27%) ever return to their biological family.
Without calling into question the child's right to return to their biological family if that is in their best interest, it is essential to provide them with the emotional stability they need for their well-being, taking their individual characteristics into account as far as possible.
The Netherlands: an innovative model as a source of inspiration
Last Friday, the Minister visited Arnhem (Netherlands) in collaboration with the association “SOS Children's Villages” (which supports the implementation of the Flemish project) to meet a professional foster family as well as a Dutch support organisation.
- John Goessens, from the support organisation “Entrea Lindenhout”, highlighted the benefits of this model while stressing that the legal framework adopted by our neighbours in 2015 could be refined, particularly by making tailored support for professional foster families mandatory, which is currently possible but not required.
The Minister then visited Hans and Annerieke, a beaming couple who care for 6 children aged 8 to 18 in a lovely house in Arnhem and receive support from “Entrea Lindenhout”. The exchange with Françoise Bertieaux was extremely positive. Hans and Annerieke, who also have three adult biological children who left home a few years ago, gave up their respective jobs to become a professional foster family.
“It brings us so much,” says Annerieke in excellent French. Of course, it isn't always simple, but it brings a lot of life into the house. Conflicts, in the end, aren't always so different from what an “ordinary” family might go through.
“That said, lockdown was a much more difficult time, although I think the children absolutely loved staying at home!” she says with a smile that will not leave her face throughout the conversation.
The couple believe the two youngest children will soon be able to return to their biological family, which shows that the aim, when the situation develops favourably, is to allow these children to return home as quickly as possible. “There are, however, children for whom the family situation is unfortunately more complex.”
To find a balance, one of Hans and Annerieke's golden rules is to keep one weekend a month for themselves. Either the children have sports or youth activities that weekend, or they can spend a weekend at a care centre provided by “Entrea Lindenhout”, allowing them to catch their breath and be a couple again.
The eldest girl has just turned 18. “She'll stay with us until she finishes her studies,” Hans adds. Her dream? “To work in the social sector.” This isn't a first, the two foster carers point out. And certainly their proudest achievement.
A Flemish model nearing completion:
In 2017, drawing on developments in the Netherlands, Flanders launched its own professional family care project. 14 approved services were invited to set up family homes (40 for 123 places). The main difference is that each family home cares for 3 children full-time (compared to 4 to 6 children in the Netherlands, in Flanders it is only possible to care for 6 children if both parents are employed full-time)
In 2023, following several awareness-raising stages within the sector, a network between services was set up to reach a critical mass per province (at this stage, this critical mass has been reached in East Flanders, the province of Antwerp and Limburg). The first candidate families were then recruited, and families are expected to be in place by the end of the year.
In December 2023, a collective labour agreement was adopted to set out salary, annual leave arrangements, working and training conditions, and so on. Families also benefit from support and tailored educational guidance from approved support services.
Each care home can take in up to 6 children (including the family's own children), with a maximum of 3 children per paid foster parent (full-time). Exceptions are possible (particularly for siblings).
The parents are formally employed by the approved services. They must hold a bachelor's degree in humanities/social sciences or have relevant experience. Their personality is of course assessed. Training courses are also being set up.
The French system:
Foster families account for 40% of care arrangements for children at risk across the border in France. This is therefore the dominant model.
The care system is mixed. It combines departmental services with private initiatives from the voluntary sector.
In concrete terms, the foster family is bound by an employment contract with an approved service. A care agreement is attached to the employment contract and sets out all the elements needed to facilitate the child's care.
Unlike the Netherlands and Flanders, there is no requirement to have a separate room for each child (for example, in Paris, given housing pressures, this would likely cause significant difficulties for care arrangements). A tailored and rather advantageous tax regime is also in place.
Before any placement, the foster carer must fulfil training obligations. An ongoing reform plans to raise this to 520 hours (theoretical and practical), bringing it closer to the educator training programme.
A possible solution for “parked” babies?
On 17 October 2016, the Minister for Youth Assistance, Rachid Madrane, declared: “we will definitively solve the problem of parked babies during this legislature”. He was referring at the time to an issue that was already “15 years” old.
As a reminder, “parked babies” are children (not always infants) who remain in hospital for an extended period for non-medical reasons, in the absence of suitable care from the relevant services (whether front-line services, notably ONE, or youth assistance services). A series of measures had been taken at the time in response to a resolution passed a few months earlier by the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
In recent months, the press has unfortunately reported that this issue remains current.
For the Minister, it is essential to facilitate rapid and appropriate care for children once the medical assessment has been completed, in order to free up beds in paediatric wards and ensure appropriate support for the child. To this end:
- Additional places have been created (including for the very youngest)
- “Parked babies” referents could be appointed within the various SAJ/SPJ services
- Short-term stays to protect the child in cases of suspected abuse will help stabilise the child's situation before placement with a foster family.
The professional foster family model, capable of caring for children with more complex backgrounds, could help provide them with the emotional and social stability (including at school) that is essential for them.
ELAP study (INED, Fréchon, 2018) for France and statistics provided by Entrea Lindenhout (NL).
S. CHARTIER, “How to improve relationships between parents and their placed child?”, ULiège, 2022.