As a result of record numbers of businesses going bust in the economic crisis, more and more families of the self-employed are making requests to a special commission for the suspension of normal social insurance payments, which leads to a referral for assistance from the OCMW.

However, according to Unizo’s own aid service for self-employed business people, Tussenstap, OCMWs often give the self-employed bad advice. Tussenstap has now offered to step in and help train OCMW staff in the particular problems of the self-employed. Tussenstap wrote to 308 Flemish OCMWs – one for every municipality in the region – and received 65 replies accepting the training offer.

The courses will consist of “social security for the self-employed in difficulty”; “avoiding a business collapse” and “coping with failure”.

About 24,000 business people are estimated to be experiencing difficulties in the current economic crisis – five times as many as actually undergo bankruptcy, according to research by Brussels University College.