The Flemish Community Commission (VGC) has decided to invest approximately 270,000 euros in ‘innovative’ projects in the youth care sector. For example, the VGC wants to eliminate waiting lists for youth care.
The sector has been struggling with excessive workload for several years due to a staff shortage and growing waiting lists. Young people who need specific help often have to have a lot of patience before they can be helped.
“In a prosperous country like ours, it is unacceptable that we cannot immediately offer young people appropriate help. That is why we are investing with the VGC in new initiatives to tackle those waiting lists,” says Executive Board President Elke Van den Brandt (Green).
Five Brussels projects
The VGC is allocating 270,000 euros to support five Brussels projects that should help eliminate waiting lists. Projects such as TIGO and Palto receive additional resources to further develop the project.
TIGO, an initiative of Ter Wende-Espero – a small-scale therapeutic center in Brussels – is a place where young people aged six to fourteen can catch their breath. It is not necessary to register on the waiting list.
The VGC also supports a new project by Ter Wende-Espero. Experienced care providers visit young people at home, if this is more appropriate for a specific situation. This means that assistance must be made more accessible.
Since 2021, Palto, a project of the child psychiatry department of UZ Brussel-Paika, has been trying to build bridges to young people who experience a major barrier to seeking help. Paikia does this by visiting them directly in their environment and by seeking contacts through parents, teachers and associations.
The waiting lists for the diagnosis of developmental disorders have also become longer in recent years. That is why the Center for Developmental Disabilities (COS) Brussels developed an innovative treatment process. That project also receives support from VGC.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
