The City of Antwerp is located in the Belgian region of Flanders and has approximately 529,000 inhabitants, making it the largest municipality in Belgium in terms of population. It is the capital of the province and the district of Antwerp. The city's Social Services unit was created in early 2018 as a result of the integration of services between the city and OCMW Antwerp. It offers a wide range of social services that Antwerp residents may need in the course of their lives.The Social Services unit focuses on important social challenges and aims to prevent and combat poverty, promote the well-being and health of Antwerp residents and stimulate the sense of community.

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

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
• 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
• 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
• Assistance in cases of energy poverty
• Financial support
• Fostering cooperation with non-governmental organisations and the promotion of social volunteering
• Research/ identifying and monitoring of social problems