130 babies under the age of one have not found foster homes in the Belgian French-speaking Community over the past year, according to non-profit organisation Foster Family ('Famille d'Accueil').
In a statement published on Monday, the organisation noted that, of the 166 applications made in 2022 for long-term foster care for children under the age of one, only 36 were eventually approved — leaving the remaining babies to face harsh and in some cases even dangerous conditions.
"These 130 babies under the age of one are placed in nurseries waiting for a foster family, or shunted around from one emergency department to another," Foster Family explained.
"In some cases, it happens that they have to spend several months in the hospital even though they are not sick. Even worse, occasionally they are forced to reintegrate into their original family home — where they are in danger — because no other solution can be offered to them."
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Each year, approximately 7,000 children are taken from their parents by the Belgian authorities across Belgium's French-speaking Community; 600 of these children are usually unable to find foster homes due to their relative scarcity.
