Centralised database aims to reduce youth care waiting lists in Flanders

On Wednesday, Flemish Welfare minister Caroline Gennez presented a new system that allows youth welfare consultants to check whether and where places are available for children awaiting help or support. Until now, no such monitoring system existed, leaving hundreds of places vacant in a sector struggling with long waiting lists.

According to figures from Flanders' Growing Up agency, the number of young people on waiting lists rose to 9,194 last year. The new Youth Care Database is intended to help reduce those waiting lists by offering a clearer overview of available capacity.

Facilities can indicate how many places are open and whether they are effectively available. "An open place does not automatically mean an available place," says youth care expert Ashley Thues. "There can be various reasons for this, which are now visible in the system."

According to Thues, the database also enables consultants to engage in more targeted discussions with facilities and better match young people with appropriate care.

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Lack of resources

In October 2025, the Flemish government approved a youth care master plan allocating 120 million euro to the sector. Around 80 per cent of the funding is earmarked for staffing and capacity. Despite this investment, capacity constraints remain acute.

Several professionals pointed to a "structural lack of resources" in the sector during the presentation of the database. They said that available places can only be kept occupied if centres are able to recruit additional staff.

"We want to direct funding to where it is most needed"

According to Gennez, the database should help address this issue by making capacity bottlenecks more visible and highlighting where investment is most needed. "We want to direct funding to where it is most needed and ensure that investment has the greatest impact," the minister said.

Around 180 youth care organisations are already using the system. It is expected to be rolled out across the entire sector in the coming years, with a centralised waiting list to be linked to the database by 2027.

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