130 babies do not find a place in French-speaking foster families

No place was found in a foster family for 130 babies between 0 and 1 year old who had to be placed in the past year. So says the non-profit organization Famille d'accueil, which covers 16 foster organizations in the French community.

Of the 166 applications for long-term shelter, only 36 have resulted in a suitable solution in the past year. The other babies, ie 130, could not be taken care of in a family context, the non-profit organization regrets.

The children are then placed in a nursery or moved from one emergency service to another while waiting for a place in a suitable foster home, says Famille d'accueil. In some cases, healthy babies have to stay in a hospital for months or even end up being returned to the family where they were taken and may be in danger.

The organization emphasizes that the children's rights treaty stipulates that children who have to be removed from their families can grow up elsewhere in a family environment. Famille d'accueil is therefore actively looking for more foster families.

alarm bell

Earlier, the French-speaking juvenile judges and magistrates already sounded the alarm to raise the shortage of foster families. At the time, competent minister Valérie Glatigny indicated that extra resources were made available for youth care at the start of the legislature, but that these are not sufficient to meet all needs. She then promised to take action.

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