Court condemns Flanders over failures in youth care
For the first time, the Flemish Community has been condemned over shortcomings in its youth policy. The ruling, reported on Monday by Het Nieuwsblad and other Belgian media, was handed down last week by the Brussels Court of First Instance in a case brought by a Flemish couple whose minor son suffers from a severe emotional disorder and was unable to secure appropriate care.
The parents had submitted four urgent applications for admission to a Multifunctional Centre (MFC), described as “the suitable place for our son”, but these were rejected each time. “Essentially, help was refused due to a shortage of staff and a lack of accommodation places,” said their lawyer, Stijn Verbist. The minor later ended up involuntarily in juvenile detention and appeared before the juvenile court.
In response, the family took legal action against the Flemish Community. “It was never about compensation for us; that does not interest us, but about the simple recognition that the entire system is failing,” the mother said. “We did this for our son, but actually for every vulnerable child.”
Verbist described the judgment as a landmark ruling. “This is a groundbreaking precedent. It has been ruled that the Flemish Community did not act as a diligent government,” he said, citing “the perpetuation of the systemic crisis in youth care and the failure to take timely and adequate measures to remedy this crisis.”
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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