Belgium Invests €2.25M to Speed Up Diagnoses for Young Children

Flemish Minister of Welfare Caroline Gennez (Vooruit) has announced an additional investment of €2.25 million to expand the capacity of the Centra voor Ontwikkelingsstoornissen (COS) — specialized centers that diagnose developmental disorders in babies and young children. The funding will enable the four Flemish COS centers to conduct 1,272 additional diagnostic examinations annually, increasing total capacity from 5,770 to 7,042 examinations per year, a 22% expansion, according to VRT NWS.

Context: A Growing Crisis in Pediatric Diagnostics

The COS centers in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Leuven provide specialized multidisciplinary diagnostic examinations for children up to approximately age six who are suspected of having developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASS), ADHD, neurological and motor development issues, and severe speech and language disorders.

Demand for these services has risen sharply in recent years, leading to growing waiting lists. According to earlier reporting, waiting times at COS Antwerp could reach up to two years for children with suspected ADHD or autism — a critical delay during a child’s most formative developmental years. The problem was thrust into the spotlight in October 2024 when a VRT Pano investigation titled “De jacht op labels” (The hunt for labels) exposed long waiting times and financial barriers that forced many families to seek expensive private diagnoses.

Key Developments: Where the Funding Will Go

The €2.25 million investment, effective from July 2026, will be distributed across the four centers as follows:

• COS Ghent: 510 additional examinations
• COS Antwerp: 350 additional examinations
• COS Leuven: 348 additional examinations
• COS Brussels: 64 additional examinations

“For young children, time makes a world of difference,” Minister Gennez said in the announcement. “The sooner a developmental disorder is diagnosed, the sooner a child and their parents can look for a good solution.”

This investment is part of a broader reform of Flemish youth care led by Gennez. In June 2026, she announced a €64 million investment to create additional capacity across youth care services, and in February 2026 she introduced a new transparency system for youth care waiting lists, as reported by De Morgen.

Analysis: Beyond the Capacity Boost

While the 22% capacity increase will provide relief for many families, Minister Gennez acknowledged that fully eliminating waiting times remains a difficult challenge. Even after diagnosis, families often face further delays in accessing appropriate follow-up care.

“We also want to further expand follow-up care and organize it more quickly, through directly accessible help and by strengthening care in the Huizen van het Kind (Houses of the Child),” Gennez stated.

Alongside the capacity expansion, an investigation commissioned by the agency Opgroeien (Growing Up) is underway to examine the root causes of the sharply rising demand for diagnostics. Expected to be completed in 2027, the study aims to create a more uniform view of waiting times across centers, standardize reporting of performance metrics, and better align target groups and operational areas.

The investment also addresses equity concerns highlighted by the 2024 Pano investigation, which found that long waiting lists at government-funded centers pushed families toward private diagnostic examinations that were often barely reimbursed, creating significant financial barriers.

Broader Context: Youth Care Reform in Flanders

This announcement is the latest in a series of measures under Gennez’s broader “Plan Jeugdhulp” (Youth Care Plan), approved by the Flemish government in October 2025. The plan focuses on making youth care transparent, proactive, accessible, and integrated. As of early 2026, approximately 10,500 young people were on waiting lists for youth care services in Flanders.

According to the Vooruit party press release, the investment aligns with the party’s identity as “de partij van de zorg” (the party of care) and Gennez’s commitment to reforming youth care.

What’s Next

The immediate impact will be felt by 1,272 additional families per year who will receive faster diagnoses, enabling earlier intervention for their children. However, questions remain about whether the investment is sufficient to meaningfully reduce current waiting times, and how the centers will staff the additional examinations given existing workforce shortages in specialized pediatric care.

The results of the ongoing investigation into rising demand, due in 2027, will be crucial for understanding long-term trends and shaping future policy. For now, the investment represents a significant step forward — but one that will need to be followed by continued efforts to address both the capacity and the root causes of growing demand for developmental disorder diagnostics in Flanders.