From 2026, there will be a joint preliminary process for adoption and foster care candidates. The intention is to have part of the preparation process coincide. Parents could then make their choice between adoption or foster care during the course of the process.
The plans for the joint preliminary phase are part of the adjustment of the rules regarding intercountry and domestic adoption and foster care. In September 2023, the Flemish government decided on a reform of intercountry adoption. There is still a future for this, but “the interests of the child must come first,” it said.
The reform focuses on screening cooperation with all countries of origin and strengthening partnerships with the countries of origin. Independent adoptions, where no guidance is provided by an adoption service, will no longer be possible in the future.
In the new decree, adoption and foster care are more closely linked. “Of course there are differences, but if we start from the need of many children for care in a family context, we must seize every opportunity to give children a care perspective. That is precisely why it is important to also connect foster care and adoption,” reads the statement. the reasoning.
The next Flemish government must give concrete shape to the joint preliminary process. According to Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (CD&V), an independent investigator will be appointed for this purpose.
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