The number of babies and toddlers being placed into care due to concerning situations has significantly increased in Flanders over recent years.
Data from the Agency for Growing Up shows that in 2020, there were 410 cases of children aged two or younger being removed from their homes. This climbed to 543 cases last year, according to reports published by Het Nieuwsblad and Gazet van Antwerpen.
Experts, including doctors, youth judges, and social workers, agree that separating infants from their parents should be minimised. However, the number of removals rose to 562 in 2023 before slightly decreasing to 543 in 2024. Youth care specialists attribute this drop to capacity constraints, particularly in Centres for Childcare and Family Support (CKG).
Currently, 164 babies under the age of one are on waiting lists for foster care placements, according to Jeroen Vandenbussche of Foster Care Flanders. This number is based on a snapshot in time. Data from Antwerp province highlights a yearly rise in demand, driven by cases of neglect, abuse, parental addiction or mental health issues, or parental inability due to disability.
Foster care services are facing mounting pressure. The number of new foster care programmes for children aged two or younger increased from 370 in 2020 to 459 in 2023, before slightly dropping to 449 in 2024. Expanding foster care further is proving difficult due to a shortage of willing foster parents.
