Kind e n Gezin

1. KindenGezin We care about small children!!

2. 1. AboutKindenGezin • Mission andValues • Ourassignment • Organisation • History

3. 1.1Mission andvalues KindenGezin, alongwithits partners, is committedtocreating a maximum of opportunitiesforeverychild, whereverandhoweverit was born andraised.

4. 1.1Mission andvalues • Attention for: • Diversity • Children’srights • Kinden Gezinstaffare committedtobeing:

5. 1.2Assignment • Contributingto the well-being of youngchildrenandtheir families in anactive way • Through 3 policy areas: • Preventivefamily support • Childcare • Adoption

6. 1.2Assignment • Preventivefamily support • Free guidanceforparents (tobe) frompregnancyuntil the child is 3 • Childcare • No organiser but general director of childcare(FlandersandBrussels) • Adoption • Information toandguidance of adoptiveandbirthparents

7. 1.3Organisation Kind enGezin:Internallyautonomous agencywithlegalresponsibility

8. 1.3Organisation • Centraldivisions • Coordinating services:management anddevelopment, internal support • Provincialdivisions • Implementation of the services provision

9. 1.3Organisation Complaints dept Kind enGezincontact centre Internal andexternalcommunication

10. 1.3Organisation • Coveringthe 3 policy areas • Kinden Gezin–Contact centre • Questionsandcounselling(3 policy areas) • Making/changingappointmentsfor house calls, consultations • Complaintsdepartment • Complaintsabout the Kinden Gezin services provision • Complaintsaboutinstitutions or individualsemployedwithin the KindenGezinsector

11. 1.3Organisation • Internal andexternalcommunication • External communicationaddressed at parentsand partners • -One-to-oneconsultations • Website(pertheme/stage in infancy) • Newsletters on pregnancy, the evolutionfrom baby totoddler, childcare, adoption and family support (per age/adhoc) • Brochures,leaflets,posters,accounts,annualreports • Video material • Social media • Campaigns • Informationeveningsand fairs(pregnant women), startersmarkets(childcare)

12. 1.3Organisation • -Training sessionsandrefresher courses (childcare) • -Online learningmodules(professionals) • Externalcommunicationfor doctors • -Extranet

13. 1.3Organisation • Internalcommunication • -Intranet,news items • DeSchakel(staff magazine) • Website • Onlinelearning modules • Accounts,annualreports,in-depthinformation • Training sessionsandrefresher courses

14. 1.3Organisation Advisorycommittee Advisorycommittee on adoption

15. 1.3Organisation • Advisorycommittee • Issues advice(requestby the Administrator General–owninitiative) • Touchstone of policy implementation • Advisorycommitteeto the Flemish Centre for Adoption • Issues advicetothisorganisation

16. 1.4History • 1904:Startorganisedchild care • First effortsbyvolunteers • 1919: NationalWorkfor Child Welfare (NWK) • Organised at national level • 1984:KindenGezin • Organised at Flemish-Community level • 1987: KindenGezinas a Flemish public institution (VOI) • 2006:KindenGezinas aninternallyautonomous agency withlegalpersonality

17. 2. Preventive Family support • Assignment • Target group • Prenatalservices provision • Postnatalservices provision • Partners • Innovation:Huizen van hetKind (one-stop shops)

18. 2.1Assignment • Kinden Gezinguides parents(tobe)frompregnancyuntil the child is 3. • Characteristics of the services • Preventive • On a voluntary basis • Free of charge • Demand-drivencustomised care • Supportive of a positive attitude • Acknowledgingparents’ possibilities • Reaching out tosociallyvulnerablegroups

19. 2.1Assignment • Keythemes • Healthy food andexercise • Body care andhygiene • Health and full set of vaccinations • Safe living andsleeping environments • Optimaldevelopment • Positiveparenthood

20. 2.1Assignment • Organised in district teams • District team managers • District nurses • Family support workers • Supportedbyprovincial consultants, lactationspecialistsandprovincial consulting physicians • In infant welfare clinicstoo:physiciansandvolunteers

21. Districts in Antwerp

22. Districts in Limburg

23. Districts in East Flanders

24. Districts in WestFlanders

25. Districts in Flemish Brabant and Brussels

26. 2.2Target group • Parents tobe(prenatalservices provision) • Families withchildrenaged 0-3(postnatalservices provision)

27. 2.3Prenatalservices provision • Infoeveningsandmaternity fairs in cooperation withmaternityclinics • Information • Pregnancybooklet • Brochures • KindinBeeld: information conveyedthrough pictures andpictographs • Website • KindenGezin–contact centre • Newsletters on pregnancy • Social media

28. 2.3Prenatalservices provision • Guidance of (socially) vulnerable pregnant women • E.g.teenagepregnancies, addiction, financial problems,individuals without identity papers, disabledindividuals, … • Prenatal support centres in some of the biggertowns • Prenatalconsultationsand house calls • Referralto mainstream services provision • Smaller townsandmunicipalites:house calls by the district nurse

29. 2.4Postnatalservices provision • Introductoryvisit(in maternityclinic or at home) • House calls • Hearing test • Provision of services on education • (incl. Consultation on Education Support)

30. 2.4Postnatalservices provision • Consultations at infant welfare clinic • Weighing andmeasuring(volunteers) • Preventivemedical examination by a physician • Vaccinations • Eye test at12and24 months • Discussion of questions

31. 2.4Postnatalservices provision • Information • Child booklet • Brochures • KindinBeeld: information conveyedthrough pictures andpictographs • Website • KindenGezin–contact centre • Newsletters‘Vanbaby totkleuter’ (from baby totoddler) • Social media

32. 2.5Partners • Partnersregisteredandsubsidisedby Kind en Gezin • Authoritiesorganising infant welfare clinicsandprenatal support centres • 'Inloopteams‘ (supplyingeducational support todeprived families) • Childcareand family support centres • Education shops • Maternity care expertise centres • Confidential centers on childabuseandneglect

33. 2.5Partners • ‘EXPOO' (expertise centre on education support) • 'Opvoedingslijn' (contact centreforeductional issues) • Initiativesgeared at enhancingplayandencounter • Local projects • E.g.Domovolunteers(helpingwitheducationthrough support) • E.g.Enhancingschoolingopportunities

34. 2.5Partners • Other partners • Maternityclinics • Gynaecologists • Self-employedmidwives • Maternityand family care services • PaediatriciansandGPs • Centres for General Welfare • Women’s shelters • Centresfor Overall Family Care

35. 2.6Innovation:Huizenvan hetKind • Partnership • Kinden Gezin • Local organisationscommittedtoassisting (future) families andyoungpeople

36. 2.6Innovation:HuizenvanhetKind • Open toallparents (tobe) • One-stop shop foreducationandgrowing-up • Preventivehealth care, education support and promotion of encounterandsocialcohesion as a minimum services offer • Local offer gearedtolocalneedsandharnessinglocalopportunities

37. 3. Child care • Assignment • Types of child care • Functions of formalchild care • Central andlocal policy • Monitoring andinspection • Subsidiesforchild care • 1 April 2014: new parliament act on child care

38. 3.1Assignment • Contributing to the well-being of young children and their families in an active way through high-quality childcare • Preparing the Flemish policy on childcare • Implementinglegislation • Supportingparentsandchildcare • InFlandersandBrussels

39. 3.2Types of childcare • KindenGezinoversees: • Formal childcareforbabiesandtoddlers • Informalchildcare–formalchildcare • Informal:voluntarychildcare taken up bygrandparents, relatives, neighbours,… • Formal:regulated, organisedchildcare • Home-basedchildcare–centre-basedchildcare • Home-basedchildcare:max. 8children • Centre-basedchildcare: startingfrom 9 children

40. 3.2Types of childcare • Fee:relatedtoincome–ad hoc • Fee relatedtoincome:parentspayaccordingtoincome • Ad hoc:fixed fee, fixedby the childcare provider • After-school childcare • Initiativesforafter-school childcare • Self-employedafter-school childcare

41. 3.2Types of childcare • Childcareprovisionlikelytobeextended • Inclusivechildcare(forchildrenwithspecific care needs) • Flexiblechildcare(early in the morning, late in the evening, during the week-end,…)

42. 3.3Functionsof formalchildcare • Economic function • Parents can take a job andearnanincome • Child care = job opportunitiesforlots of people • Socialfunction • As a means of combatting the exclusion of disadvantagedgroups(bothchildrenandparents) • As a means of promoting integration

43. 3.3Functions of formalchildcare • Pedagogical function • Provides care and security • Enhanceschildren’sphysicalandpsychologicaldevelopment • Is a spaceforinteractionwithotherchildren • Teacheshowtointeractrespectfullywithotherchildren

44. 3.4Centralandlocalpolicy • Kinden Gezin =Centraldirector • Localauthority(municipalityandOCMW):responsibleforlocalchildcare policy • 3instruments • Local Childcare Policy Plan • Local ChildcareConsultation • Municipalitycanorganiseitsownchildcare • LocalChildcare Desk • Supports parents in their search forchildcare

45. 3.5Monitoring andinspection • Kind enGezin doesn’t carry out ANY inspections • Inspections are effectedby the Flemish Care Inspectorate, which draws up aninspection report withrecommendations • KindenGezinmakesdecisionsbased on the report andrecommendations of the Flemish Care Inspectorate

46. 3.6Subsidiesforchildcare Level3 • Vulnerable families • Priority rules Level2 Subsidy ‘plus’ Level1 Subsidy on income-based fee Subsidy on income-based fee • Fee based on income • Priority rules • Use of Dutch • Open 220 days a year Base subsidy Base subsidy Base subsidy Individual special carezorg Individualand/or structural special care

47. 4. HetVlaamsCentrumvoorAdoptie (Flemish Centre for Adoption) • Assignment • Legislation • Domestic adoption • Intercountry adoption

48. 4.1Assignment Supervisesalladoptionsof minors, bothdomesticandintercountryadoptions

49. 4.2Legislation • The Hague Convention(1993)andBelgianlegislation • 2major principles: • Adoptability • (free andfullyinformed consent) • Subsidiarity • (Intercountry adoption as a last resort: after adoption byownrelativesanddomestic adoption)

50. 4.3Domesticadoption • Child resident in Belgium adoptedbyparents resident in Belgium • Unknownchild(through adoption agency) • Procedure: • Informationsessionandpreparationforparents as required • Socialenquiryintoprospectiveadoptiveparents –guidanceand support forbirthparents – placement of childandafter-care through adoption agency • Adoption verdict pronounced in court