From 1st July 2025, foster parents caring for a child placed in a long-term foster arrangement will have the same rights to career interruption and allowances as biological or adoptive parents.
What is parental leave ?
Parental leave is a period of leave granted to parents to care for their child, usually following maternity or paternity leave. It allows parents to temporarily reduce their working hours or to suspend their work to focus on their child's education and well-being.
Read more : « What is parental leave ? »
What will change from 1st July 2025 ?
Extension of the right to classic parental leave
Currently, classic parental leave is only available to workers who are first-degree relatives of the child, namely biological or adoptive parents.
With the reform, foster parents in a long-term foster placement (minimum 6 months) will now have access to the same parental leave as biological parents, under the same terms and conditions, with some specific adaptations (see question below).
Distinction from the existing foster parental leave
In the current system, there is already a "foster parental leave," which is a specific leave granted when welcoming a child in a foster placement. This leave allows for an uninterrupted period of up to 6 weeks (with the possibility of extension).
With the reform, foster parents will now be able to benefit from both:
- The existing foster parental leave (for the initial period of fostering)
- Classic parental leave (for longer-term care)
Conditions of parental leave for foster parents
Currently, foster parents do not have access to the various forms of classic parental leave (full interruption, part-time, 1/5th time, etc.).
With the reform, foster parents will be able to benefit from:
- Up to 4 months of full interruption
- Or the equivalent in the form of a reduction in working hours (part-time, 1/5th time, etc.)
- For each child placed in a long-term foster arrangement
Learn more : « What are the different forms of parental leave ? »
Who will be able to benefit from parental leave for foster parents?
Your workers designated as foster parents by an official body will be able to benefit from parental leave for the child they are fostering in their family.
To effectively benefit from this right, your worker must be designated and appointed as a foster parent by an official decision issued by:
- The court
- An approved placement service by the competent community
- The youth assistance services
- The Committee for Special Youth Assistance
Good to know
A long-term foster placement means a placement where it is clear from the outset that the child will stay for a minimum of six months with the same foster family and foster parents.
What are the specific conditions for foster parents?
To benefit from parental leave, the following conditions must be met:
- The right can only be exercised from the moment the child is registered as part of the household in the population or foreign register. However, a royal decree may establish another starting point for the beginning of the leave.
- A certificate attesting to the long-term foster placement (at least 6 months) must be provided by the competent service and transmitted to the employer no later than at the start of the leave
- The right to parental leave remains valid as long as the child is placed in the family, subject to compliance with age and registration conditions.
Entry into force ?
In principle, parental leave for foster parents will come into force on 1st July 2025. Therefore, this regime will apply to requests submitted by your workers from that date.
Clarifications regarding parental leave for foster parents, particularly to set another starting point for the beginning of the leave, may still be provided by royal decree. We will keep you informed on Lex4You.
What does Securex do for you ?
For any additional information on foster parental leave, do not hesitate to contact your Legal Advisor via : myHr@securex.be.
To learn more, you can also consult our file on foster parental leave