Brussels CPAS federation president Sébastien Lepoivre has criticised a federal circular linking social assistance to applicants’ willingness to work, saying local welfare bodies were neither informed nor consulted.
Lepoivre said he had learned of the measure “with astonishment” after it was issued by Federal Minister for Social Integration Anneleen Van Bossuyt.
In the circular, the minister sets out a series of conditions for CPAS offices when granting integration income, including stricter checks on whether applicants are available for work.
Lepoivre said CPAS organisations still fully support the goal of guiding beneficiaries towards training and employment wherever possible.
However, he warned that some of the proposed measures risk overlooking the social realities faced by many people and therefore need to be implemented with great care and balance.
He also accused the minister of stigmatising groups already “highly exposed to discrimination,” as well as the sworn social workers who support them.
In his view, a modern employment integration policy should tackle structural discrimination in hiring linked to origin, presumed nationality, religion, gender or age as firmly as it promotes access to work.
He said such an approach would be fairer than placing pressure only on people in precarious situations, especially those of foreign origin.
The minister has called on CPAS offices to assess more strictly the efforts made by recipients of subsistence income.
Lepoivre said strict monitoring and checks are already in place, adding that the initiative comes at a time when CPAS offices are facing rising demand for assistance following federal reforms.
The Walloon and Flemish CPAS federations have also reacted negatively to the circular.
