Announcement of the discontinuation of the Association for Adopted Children and Families

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the Association for Adopted Children and Families (VAG) will definitively cease its operations as of January 1, 2026.

Social developments, policy choices in the adoption landscape, and a sharp decline in membership in recent years have resulted in the Association for Adopted Children and Families' financial viability steadily declining. Unfortunately, the number of active volunteers has also steadily decreased, making this decision unavoidable.

We thank the loyal VAG members who have supported us over the years. We also extend a special thanks to the (former and current) volunteers who have selflessly dedicated themselves to the Association for Adopted Children and Families, often for many years. We worked entirely with volunteers who shared their experience as adoptees or (prospective) adoptive parents.

For over 30 years, the Association for Adopted Children and Families has been advocating for open information provision, honest preparation for prospective adoptive parents, and professional (after)care for adoptees and adoptive families. They have achieved this by organizing accessible training and meetings, featuring the VAG magazine, the VAG book service, VAG contact persons, training evenings, adoption cafés, family activities, and more.

Meeting, learning from each other's stories, and recognition are crucial for adoptees, adoptive parents, and prospective adoptees. This is what made our decision so difficult. But without structured and financial support from our volunteer association, offering high-quality activities and training for adoptive families, adoptees, and prospective adoptees is unfortunately no longer possible.

The need for accessible, high-quality care and support for adoptive families, adopted children, and first-time parents remains significant. We are aware of this and hope that ceasing our activities will lead to the emergence of new initiatives by or with existing advocacy groups.

For questions about adoption files, please contact the Flemish Center for Adoption. Are you looking for your birth family or do you have questions about your origins? Then contact the Ancestry Center. For questions about aftercare and training, please contact the Adoption Support Center. You can also contact the various advocacy groups for adoptees with questions.

The VAG board 

Do you have any questions about this? You can contact VAG at info@vagadoptie.be until December 31, 2025. After that, you can reach us at vanbovenannelies@hotmail.com or vincent.laurent@telenet.be.