Flemish expertise centre on informal care on the way
The government has earmarked €300,000 to help develop a centre for the support of non-professional caregiving
Caring for the carers
The new organisation will assemble information on and for non-professional caregivers and support research on the subject. The centre is part of Flemish welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen’s plan on informal care, approved by the government about a year ago.
The plan should ensure improved support for those who voluntarily take care of family members and others, including for the elderly and disables. Some one-quarter of people in Flanders provide such care, a disproportionate number of them women.
“There is an unmistakable need for centralisation of knowledge and expertise to help informal caregivers, professionals and policymakers,” said Vandeurzen in a statement.
The centre will have a user-friendly website that will assemble information and encourage research as well as devote attention to the public perception of informal caregivers, some of which are young people caring for chronically ill or disabled parents.
The new centre is being developed by two main partners: the Vlaams Mantelzorgplatform, an umbrella organisation of informal care associations, and the non-profit Steunpunt Expertisenetwerken, which develops expertise on support for people with a disability.
Photo courtesy Ingimage

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