In Brussels and Wallonia, there are now 600 children in care waiting to be fostered, 130 of which are under the age of one, reports Le Soir. The figures have been received as a clear symptom of an ongoing problem within the Belgian foster system.
In Belgium, as in most other European countries, children can be placed in care by the relevant authorities if their parents or legal guardians are judged to be unable or unwilling to look after them. As a result, these children await being taken in by foster families.
However, a report by Le Soir published on Tuesday has revealed that there are 600 children currently awaiting foster homes in Brussels and Wallonia, of which 130 are under the age of one.
This has led 'Famille d'accueil,' which groups together Belgium's French-speaking community's 16 family support services, to sound the alarm on these children's plight. This has been an ongoing issue in Belgium, with the RTBF reporting in May 2020 that of the over 21,000 kids in care, 32% were still waiting to be fostered.
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To that end, Le Soir interviewed Audrey and Quentin, a couple from the Walloon city of Charleroi who have recently become an emergency foster family.
Given their role, the child they have decide to take care of will "only be with us for a maximum of 45 days, but we still try to take care of him as if he were our own child." Before adding that "this is an opportunity to show him what it's like to have a life of his own."
