The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG) is a membership organisation based in the Belgian city of Brussels. The Association's core task is to pomote the interests of and provide services to its members. Its members are Belgian local authorities: cities and municipalities, public centres for social welfare, police zones, autonomous local and inter-local companies and partnerships. 

Main Areas of Work

• Children and young people
• Children at risk of social exclusion
• Homeless
• Elderly
• People with addiction
• People with physical disabilities
• People with mental disabilities
• Mental health
• Public Health
• Social justice
• People who are socially vulnerable
• People in situations of difficulty or precarity
• Victims of domestic abuse
• Gender equality
• Counteracting and supporting victims of gender-based violence
• Migrants
• Social Integration
• Beneficiaries of minimum income
• Poverty
• Recipients of care
• Foster care

Responsibilities/ Services

• Providing social services
• Transformation of care models
• Promotion of systemic change
• Role of the social worker
• Integration of technological tools
• Issuing of guidelines and policies for the district’s councils
• Capacity building and training
• Professional training
• Training of social welfare workforce
• Research and development
• Conducting inspections
• Maintaining networks for managers and social workers
• Management of public nursing homes and day centres for the elderly
• Home care services for the elderly and dependent people
• Residential services for victims of gender-based violence
• Socio-educational services for children at risk of social exclusion
• Specialised intervention services as meeting points for children, victims of violence, and their families
• Consulting services and specialised studies for local governments regarding elderly facilities
• Child protection
• Telecare
• Emotional support groups for family caregivers
• Programs for the prevention of addictions in young people
• Assistance in cases of energy poverty
• Financial support
• Social insurance
• Fostering cooperation with non-governmental organisations and the promotion of social volunteering
• Research/ identifying and monitoring of social problems
• Representing and defending interests of their members