Compensation for fostering a child

Leave to welcome a child as a parent/foster family

In the event of long-term family placement (minimum 6 months), the worker who welcomes a child into his or her family will be entitled, to care for this child, to foster parental leave for an uninterrupted period of maximum 6 weeks. The leave is doubled when the child has a disability.

The duration of foster parental leave will be gradually extended as follows:

  • one week from January 1st 2019
  • two weeks from January 1st 2021 at the latest
  • three weeks from January 1st 2023 at the latest
  • four weeks from January 1st 2025 at the latest
  • five weeks from January 1st 2027 at the latest

If there are two foster parents, they share this week or weeks between them.

Only one of the two foster parents will be able to obtain the additional week.

Conditions

  • The settling-in leave must take place within twelve months following the child's registration in the population register or in the foreigners’ register.
  • The necessary documents are a copy of the document which certifies the placement of the child in accordance with the regulations on youth assistance and youth protection.

Compensation

  • For salaried workers: Compensation will be calculated at 82% of the capped wage. The first three days will be paid by the employer (from 18/03/2019).
  • For the self-employed: this is a flat-rate payment per week of leave (for more information, consult the table of amounts).