Justice increasingly refers vulnerable youth to boarding schools
Flemish boarding schools are accommodating an increasing number of vulnerable children and young people, with a growing share being placed there by the justice system. Data concerning this influx was requested by a Flemish MEP and made public on Wednesday.
In 2023, 14 per cent of boarding school students were referred by the justice department, according to figures from the Flemish Agency for Education Services. Juvenile judges are often left with no choice but to place young people in boarding schools when other residential care options are unavailable.
"The water is up to the lips of Flemish educational boarding schools," says Loes Vandromme (CD&V), who requested the data. "Educational boarding schools are seeing an influx of toddlers, pupils from special education, and young people placed via the juvenile court. At the same time, they have fewer and fewer resources to deal with these new challenges."
The number of justice-referred students in Flemish boarding schools has surged in recent years. In 2023, 1,352 young people were placed via the justice system, compared to 950 in 2017, an increase of more than 40 per cent. This shift is even more pronounced when viewed as a proportion of total boarding school students: in 2023, they accounted for 14 per cent, up from 9.4 per cent in 2017. Meanwhile, the overall number of boarding school students declined by 4 per cent over the same period.
Vandromme also highlighted the structural challenges facing boarding schools. In the past decade, six schools have shut down, and since the 2023 education decree on boarding school reform, thirteen schools have merged. A year and a half after the reform, Vandromme fears further reductions in the educational landscape and is calling for an urgent re-evaluation. She also advocates for stronger cooperation between different policy areas, including the minister of welfare.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS
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