Prevention services

Parents-to-be and families with young children sometimes find themselves on unfamiliar territory or faced with situations they do not know how to cope with. At times like this they can call on the professional services of Kind en Gezin free of charge. Our services are primarily geared to expectant parents and families with children under the age of three. Through the personal and professional approach of our nurses and doctors, Kind en Gezin guarantees a high quality service adapted to the client's needs.

How do we do that?

• ‘Kind Op Komst’ (Baby on the Way) information evenings for expectant parents
  Parents-to-be usually have a lot of questions about what happens during pregnancy and birth. Kind en Gezin in collaboration with maternity hospitals organises ‘Baby on the way’ information evenings to answer their questions.
  
  
• Home visits: the personal touch
  A district nurse from Kind en Gezin visits almost every family at home soon after mother and baby are discharged from the maternity hospital (see graph). So they meet the family in their home environment.
  There is plenty of time for advice, questions and practical measurements (e.g. the Algo^tm  hearing test).
  
• Health centres: care that meets individual needs!
  There are 338 health centres in Flanders where families with young children can consult a team of medical and nursing experts. The nurses and doctors examine and vaccinate children free of charge and offer practical advice.
  
  
• INLOOP-teams
  INLOOP-teams (Dutch Acronym meaning Integrated Accessible Parenting Support teams) work in a number of disadvantaged neighbourhoods. There are 13 authorised teams at the moment. Their work focuses firstly on setting up activities to support parents-to-be and parents with children aged between 0 and 3 in their parenting role. INLOOP-teams work to lower barriers and create an environment for families which helps them to get on with the job of being parents.
  
  
• District centres
  The 63 district centres in Flanders and Brussels are the pivot of Kind en Gezin's district-based services. They are the operational bases from which the district nurses coordinate their activities.  

Our strategic themes are: 

• Food
• Safety
• Children's rights
• Diversity
• Parenting support

Help in specific situations

Not all families live in ordinary circumstances. Some children find themselves living in ‘unusual’ circumstances. Kind en Gezin gives special help to these children.

• Professional support and guidance at difficult times
  Difficult or even crisis situations… many people have to face them at some time. At times when a family can no longer cope with caring for a child, Kind en Gezin extends a helping hand. Child care and family support centres offer support and guidance at difficult times to families with children up to the age of 6, and sometimes even up to the age of 12. As well as support and guidance in the home, these centres can also provide day care and/or overnight care and support outside the home. This can help them get through a difficult period as quickly and painlessly as possible.
  
  
• Reporting child abuse 
  Kind en Gezin recognises and subsidises confidential child abuse centres in each province in Flanders and in the Brussels Capital Region. These centres are the first point of call for reporting child abuse, they offer immediate emergency care for abused children, refer them on and coordinate all services.
  
  
• Adopting a child?
  Families that want to adopt a child can go to Kind en Gezin for information. We recognise and supervise domestic and intercountry adoption agencies.