Flanders launches app to quickly find placements for foster children
Flanders is launching a new app designed to help care providers quickly find foster families when a child urgently needs a place to stay. Flemish welfare minister Caroline Gennez announced the initiative.
In crisis situations, care providers often need to arrange a placement for a child or young person at very short notice. Until now, this was often organised through informal networks or calls on social media platforms such as Facebook.
The new app will allow foster care services to send out alerts directly to potential foster families. This makes it possible to reach available families much faster, including across provincial borders, something that was not always possible before.
Families using the app will receive a short, anonymised description of the situation, including the child’s age, region, language and a brief explanation of the circumstances. They can then indicate whether they are available to provide care.
"The citizen initiatives that used to use social media to find a place for a child in urgent need are valuable," says Gennez. "But they don't offer structural solutions. This digital platform should take over and improve that task. And ensure that care providers can more quickly find a caring foster family that immediately offers a child safety and peace. Foster parents often move heaven and earth to help a child in need. It is our job to support them in this."
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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