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Health Looking for health care
Solentra – It takes a society to heal war trauma
Psychological support for refugees
Solentra offers specialized trauma care for individuals with a refugee background. Our
organization focuses on providing professional psychological support to people who have
experienced trauma due to war and displacement, with both individual and group therapy
options available.
What we offer:
At Solentra, refugees can receive specialized psychological care in their own language. We
have three Ukrainian psychologists on our team, allowing us to support Ukrainian refugees in
their native language.
Our services are provided through referral only, meaning you cannot make an appointment
directly. Instead, you can register a client via the registration form on our website.
Visit our website for more information and to register for psychological care www.solentra.be.
Contact and more information:
- Facebook: Solentra VZW
- LinkedIn: Solentra
- Instagram: solentra.vzw
- Email: solentra@uzbrussel.be
- Phone: 02 477 57 15
Health insurance
As part of the European Temporary Protection Status, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance of the Kingdom of Belgium (INAMI) opens up the right to health insurance to beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine (BPTU), so that they can benefit from affordable health care.
To do so, BPTUs must first join a Belgian health insurance fund.
It is your personal responsibility to conclude a contract with a mutual insurance agency. It is up to you to choose an agency and register. You can find an information brochure on mutual insurance companies here.
It's also important to obtain BIM status from your mutual insurer. This will enable you to benefit from discounts on utility charges and the purchase of a reduced-price transport card.
Medical care
A health center is available to all new arrivals at the registration center for temporary protection (40, place Victor Horta, 1060 Brussels). It offers emergency medical care, as well as revaccination and tuberculosis screening services.
! Admission to this point is free and one-off (only on arrival in the country).
- For medical observation, you must be followed by a family doctor, who you can find here.
Your family doctor plays a central role in your life. He or she listens to you, treats you or refers you to specialists for further tests.
- For mental health support in the Brussels-Capital Region, a toll-free number 0800/12347 is available for consultations. The line is open from 09:00 to 17:00 every day, except weekends.
- In an emergency, you can go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital.
What to do when there are questions about access to healthcare?
Persons from Ukraine enjoying temporary protection in the Brussels Capital Region should contact: :
• For medical follow-up: to a general practitioner (search via the Federation of Associations of General Practitioners of Brussels (FAMGB) or by calling 1710). If they need help, they can contact the ASBL 'Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee'.
• In case of emergency, they can contact the 'Emergency' department of their nearest hospital
• For more general questions of orientation and support in the Belgian health system: contact the ASBL "Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee",rue du Commerce 44, 1000 Brussels.
• For all newcomers, a health point is organized at the registration centre for beneficiaries of temporary protection (40 Place Victor Horta, 1060 Brussels). First aid and/or emergency care are offered there, as well as a basic vaccination catch-up and tuberculosis screening.
We strongly recommend that beneficiaries of temporary protection are in order with their affiliation to the health insurance fund (mutualité), see the leaflet via this link.
What to do if you have questions about social protection?
• For all questions on social protection (children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, etc.): contact the ASBL Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee.
• BTPs can contact the CPAS (Public Centre for Social Welfare) of the municipality where they live and are registered with their temporary protection certificate and their identity documents.
Find also info on:
In the frame of the European temporary protection status, INAMI (National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance) ensures Ukrainian refugees the right to health care insurance so that they can benefit from affordable care. To that end, they must start by joining a Belgian mutual insurance company.
Here is all you need to know about health insurance agencies in Brussels. Which are the health insurance agencies and how do I register with them?
Also useful to refer to the role of general practitioners: Doctor Brussels
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Childcare Looking for a daycare for my children
Belgium has an extensive network of quality childcare facilities for young children aged 3 months to 3 years.
Each municipality is responsible for childcare via the network of municipal nurseries. You can contact your municipality's administrative services (refer to the tab 'Local authorities') and ask for the list of municipal nurseries available in your area.
Also refer to the local childcare office for Brussels https://www.kinderopvanginbrussel.be/nlhttps://www.kinderopvanginbrussel.be/nl
In addition to municipal nurseries, other childcare facilities are available, which may or may not be approved and overseen by the official organisations ONE (Office de la Naissance et de l'Enfance) and Kind & Gezin. These two organisations, one belonging to the French Community, the other to the Flemish Community, are active in the Brussels-Capital Region.
Further information on:
› https://my.one.be/fr
› https://www.kindengezin.be/nl
› https://www.one.be/public/grossesse/creche-accueillante/trouver-une-creche
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People with disabilities Looking for support for disabled persons
People with disabilities, whether physical or mental, have many questions. Where can I find allowances? Housing assistance? What facilities are provided for public transport? Which education to follow? In Belgium, the policy for the disabled is the responsibility of several authorities: federal, regional and community.
Day centres welcome adults and children with mental, physical or sensory disabilities. They provide medical, psychological, paramedical, social and educational care through adapted activities.
› https://be.brussels/fr/aide-social-sante/handicap-et-invalidite
› https://phare.irisnet.be/
The PHARE Service provides information, advice and financial assistance to people with disabilities in the Brussels Region.
› www.kenniscentrumwwz.be/personen-met-een-handicap-en-inclusie (NL)
The 'Brussels Regionaal Overleg Gehandicaptenzorg' (BROG) is an organisation for consultation and cooperation in the field of Dutch language care for the disabled in the Brussels-Capital Region.
Brussels Aanmeldingspunt voor Personen met een Handicap is the contact point for Dutch-speaking Brussels residents with a disability.
https://www.brap.be/
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- Safe hosting
Hosting Safe hosting
- You register your hosting offer in your secure space on bemyguest.brussels.
- Only the municipality and the PCSW can put you in contact with a guest
- You sign an agreement with the guest.
- You set a specific date for the end of the hosting (usually three months but it's your choice).
- You receive an allowance from the guest.
- You don't have to do anything with the guest because that is the role of the PCSW.
- If you have any questions, the freephone number 0800/40 400 will answer them and find the right assistance for you (available from 10 June)
- The Region will have created 5,000 hosting places to take over by October.
› I want more information on the framework.
› I want to read the hosting agreement and the cohabitation charter.
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- Looking for financial support to take care of my family
Family Looking for financial support to take care of my family
Family allowances
Iriscare manages the family allowance system for children living in the Brussels Region. Family allowances are paid by the family allowance funds. https://www.iriscare.brussels/fr/citoyens/familles-avec-enfants/caisses-allocations-familiales/
Famiris, the Brussels public fund, offers each family a service according to its situation.
Are you hosting Ukrainian families? Or are you a Ukrainian national with children living in the Brussels-Capital Region? Family allowances can be granted for children of Ukrainian families living in the Brussels Region in the frame of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
They are entitled to child benefit in Brussels if they are covered by the temporary protection scheme, have a Belgian national registration number and are officially domiciled in the Brussels-Capital Region. Ukrainian families may be assisted by the OCMW in applying for family allowances.
Do you need more information? Find a dedicated FAQ on the Famiris website as well as the procedure and application form for child benefit, also available in Ukrainian and Russian: https://famiris.brussels/fr/faq/refugies-dukraine/.
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- Looking for a job
Employment/Training Looking for a job
You have left Ukraine because of the conflict and you want to work in Belgium? Actiris is there to support you in your search for a job or training! In Belgium, the 3 regions are responsible for employment. Thus, Actiris, as the Brussels Regional Employment Office, is a public service and the main player and solution provider for employment solutions in the Brussels-Capital Region.
- If you are staying in the Brussels-Capital Region, you are asked to register at an Actiris office. You can find more information about working and living in Brussels here.
- If you are staying in Flanders, you are asked to register at a VDAB office. You can find more information about working and living in Flanders here.
- If you are staying in Wallonia, you are asked to register at a Forem office. You can find more information on working in Wallonia here.
By registering with Actiris, you can, like all job seekers, benefit from Actiris' services and advantages as well as its extensive network of partners.
Stimulating your job search
Actiris stimulates and guides you in your job search through :
- Information sessions: once your registration is complete, you will automatically be invited to a collective information session with Ukrainian translation to present our services.
- A consultant and a career plan: a personal consultant is assigned to you and will develop an individual action plan with you.
- Network of partners: Actiris has developed a whole network of partners to best meet the needs of the employment market. Language training, obtaining diploma equivalence, support with child care, access to co-searching groups, tips and tricks for your job search, etc. Your counsellor will guide you to the partner best suited to your needs.
- Training: for many people, training is the fastest way to a new job. With Actiris, you can follow free training courses and we also work together with you to find the training courses that are best suited to you.
- Employer network: Actiris helps employers in their search for new employees. If an online job offer perfectly matches your profile, Actiris will be the first to discover it! Some employers have already made their vacancies more accessible to newcomers by including a #welcome hashtag in their job offers.
Your registration with Actiris is completely free of charge and gives you access to all information concerning employment in Brussels.
Your job search
We have an online job search tool My Actiris. By creating an online profile on My Actiris, you can not only fully manage your file and stimulate your job search, but you can also find many interesting job offers.
If the job offers you receive are not suitable for you, you are free to reject them and refine your search. Please note that the more complete your My Actiris profile is, the more tailor-made job offers you will receive and the more likely you will be matched with an employer.
How to register with Actiris?
Once you have obtained your Annex 15 document or your A card, you can register at Actiris. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Temporary protection certificate
If you were permanently residing in Ukraine, and you left the country to escape war from 24 February 2022 on, you may be entitled to temporary protection. First of all, you must report in person at the registration center of the Immigration Office and a 'temporary protection certificate' will be issued if the conditions are met.
Step 2: Annex 15 or A card
With the 'temporary protection certificate' you can register at the municipal administration of your place of residence. When you register, you first receive a document called 'Annex 15' and later an 'A card'. You need these documents to be allowed to work in Belgium. Attention: the A card is valid until March 4, 2024. This may be extended depending on the situation in Ukraine.
Step 3: Registration as job-seeker with Actiris
The next step is your registration with Actiris.
- By appointment
To register or re-register with Actiris, you can make an appointment online at https://www.actiris.brussels/fr/citoyens/ukraine/ or on site at 30, Avenue de l'Astronomie, 1210 Brussels, on the third floor of the Permanence Ukraine office.
Working hours are from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 16:00, except on Thursdays from 13:00 to 16:00
You can also get answers to various questions about finding a job or registering with Actiris at the Cité des Métiers (Avenue de l'Astronomie 14 in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode), Ukrainian-speaking consultants are available to answer your questions about language courses, training, job search, job creation and interregional and international mobility. Computers and documentation are also available. You can also check the schedule of events organized in the Cité de Métiers.
- Online via my.actiris.brussels
Do you already have a Belgian national number?
Then you can register directly online (in French or Dutch) via my.actiris.brussels.
Learn more about Actriris services:
Discover in the video below how Actiris can help you in your job search.
For more information, visit our website: www.actiris.brussels/en/citizens/actiris-for-ukraine
A series of frequently asked questions has been created to best meet the needs of newcomer jobseekers. This FAQ is regularly updated: https://www.actiris.brussels/fr/citoyens/news-faq-ukraine-ce/
A brochure has also been created to better explain the steps to follow when registering at Actiris. Download the brochure here brochure CE ukrainien US 01_0.pdf.
Actiris employees are also trained to help this group. Actiris teams are therefore ready to support refugees from Ukraine who are looking for a job.
Useful links :
Job offers: https://www.actiris.brussels/fr/citoyens/offres-d-emploi/
Website: https://www.actiris.brussels/en/citizens/
Actiris also has cooperation agreements with leading actors in the support and integration of newcomers:
- Integration Programme for Newcomers in Brussels: https://bewelcome.brussels/en/welkom/
- Agentschap Integratie en Inburgering (BON): https://www.bon.be/
- Bureau d'Accueil pour Primo-Arrivants (BAPA) in Brussels: https://www.bapabxl.be/
- The Missions Locales and the "Werkwinkels" provide help on the employment market to people who need it.
- Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (FEDASIL): https://www.fedasil.be/fr
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Language learning Looking for language courses
In Brussels, 1 in 2 job offers requires knowledge of French and Dutch. And often, knowledge of other languages is also required by employers.
The Brussels-Capital Region offers many opportunities for language learning throughout the year. These classes are organised by the municipalities, by BECI (Brussels Enterprises Commerce & Industry), by organisations supported by the French and Flemish Communities, or by a private institution.
The use of languages is extremely regulated in the Brussels Region. Public services are required to address the public solely in one of the Region's two languages. A request was submitted to the Standing Commission for Language Supervision to be able to welcome and receive refugees in English. The latter has already agreed and this enables an evolution in the use of languages in Brussels.
› https://www.actiris.brussels/fr/citoyens/apprendre-une-langue/
Want to take a language course to increase your chances of finding a job? Actiris offers you several free packages. The Wallonia-Brussels Federation regulates the organisation of "gateway classes" via Daspa, a reception and schooling scheme for newly arrived students, offering them a limited period intermediate schooling stage before they move to standard schooling.
This scheme aims to teach French to children in exile and to bring them up to speed. Ultimately, the goal is for them to reach the correct level of education for their age. Faced with this influx of new arrivals, the Minister of Education plans to make "temporary changes" aimed at "facilitating certain procedures and granting periods of time in line with your actual needs”.
› http://www.enseignement.be/index.php?page=26430&navi=894
Information platform for expatriates in Brussels, the commissioner.brussels website offers a series of tips for following language courses (EN): https://www.commissioner.brussels/fr/je-suis-un-expatrie/36/804
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- Searching for a translator or an intercultural mediator
Social translation/interpretation and intercultural mediation Searching for a translator or an intercultural mediator
The language barrier can complicate exchanges between Belgian families and the Ukrainian families they host, sometimes creating tensions due to misunderstanding. In order to respond to these daily challenges, the Belgian Red Cross is setting up a tool to put host and host families in touch with volunteer translators who speak Ukrainian as well as French, Dutch, German or English, via videoconference. This platform aims to facilitate the sharing of questions or personal exchanges on themes such as the different perception of the daily way of life, of co-residence, the expectations of each other, the understanding of the duties and rights of each... The platform is therefore particularly aimed at the private setting.
One of the main problems on arrival in Brussels is the language barrier. It is difficult for many Ukrainians to understand how to proceed or what to do without understanding what is being said around them.
For this reason, the Samu Social and other reception centres are actively seeking Russian and Ukrainian-speaking interpreters. If you know one or you are one yourself, do not hesitate to help by contacting them.
For example, certain services in this area are available:
› Intercultural mediation - carried out remotely – in healthcare (for general practitioners
› Social translation and interpretation
In response to the influx of Ukrainian newcomers to Brussels, a number of Community Centres of the Flemish Community Commission (VGC) are working with the Agency for Civic Integration (AII). Three HUBS have been established from which to work together locally, focusing on the needs and contribution of the local Ukrainian community, the expertise and network of AII, and the community centres.
The hubs also offer weekly on-duty desks where someone is present to help with personal requests for information. These support staff can assist Ukrainian people in finding answers to their questions and they are welcome to drop in without an appointment.
- In Sint Pieters Woluwe: Hub in Community Centre Kontakt: Orbanlaan 54, 1150 Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, email: ⦁ kontakt@vgc.be, tel.: +32 (0)2 762 37 74 On-duty desk on Fridays from 9am to 12.30pm.
- In Anderlecht: Hub in Community Centre De Rinck: Dapperheidsplein 7, 1070 Anderlecht, email: derinck@vgc.be, tel.: ⦁ +32 (0)2 524 32 35 On-duty desk from Tuesday 28 June in Community Centre De Rinck and then every Tuesday from 9am to 12.30pm
- In Koekelberg: Hub in Community Centre De Platoo: Pantheonlaan 14 or Dapperenstraat 20, 1081 Koekelberg, email: ⦁ deplatoo@vgc.be, tel.: ⦁ +32 (0)2 412 00 50 On-duty desk from Thursday 7 July and then every Thursday from 9am to 12.30pm.
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- Searching for monitoring for my pregnancy
Expectant mothers Searching for monitoring for my pregnancy
Have you just arrived in Brussels and are you pregnant? Do not hesitate to knock on the door of one of the numerous family planning centres or to go to a free consultation in a branch of l’ONE ou de Kind&Gezin.
These consultations are places open to all prospective parents, located in a hospital or in a neighbourhood.
You will be met by a gynaecologist or a midwife and a medical social worker called PEPs (Child-Parent Partners).
They will monitor your pregnancy, the baby’s development and your health as an expectant mother.
The doctor will order a series of examinations (blood draws, ultrasounds) necessary for the proper monitoring of your pregnancy.
The PEPs will be happy to answer your questions, give you all the information you need about your pregnancy, the birth, nutrition for pregnant women, etc.
ONE and Kind&Gezin have also created, on their respective websites, a section dedicated to pregnant women and families with young children. Numerous resources can be found there such as perinatal consultations, consultations for children, free time care, etc.
A new official website (https://www.bornin.brussels/) dedicated to pregnancy, birth and infancy will be launched at the end of April. It will contain a wealth of information, including an SOS section for dealing with emergencies, as well as a Rights and Procedures section that will answer, in a simplified manner, all the legal questions that (future) parents may have.
Also refer to Wheel of care and Zwanger in Brussel ?
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Telephone information lines Searching for a telephone number
Searching for a telephone number Here is a list of useful telephone numbers that you can call:
- Caritas International: 02 477 57 15 via WhatsApp
- Information line to answer questions from Belgians hosting Ukrainians: Caritas International: 0800 2 41 41 (in Dutch and French) - from Monday to Friday, from noon to 6 p.m.
- Information line for refugees, volunteers and host families: Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen 1. 0032 2 225 44 11 (in English and Dutch) - from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. 2. 0032 2 225 44 21 (in Ukrainian) - from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
- Psychological support in Ukrainian: Solentra
To access the assistance provided by Solentra, it is necessary to register via the website https://www.solentra.be/ through your social worker or general practitioner. The processing of your request takes two to three weeks.
For further information, you can contact Solentra, from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the following number: 0032 484 650 130. - The 0800/12347 number has been launched. The purpose of this number is to provide referrals for mental health-related help. This number is intended for beneficiaries of temporary protection status as well as for hosts who would like advice on how to best support the Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection status they are hosting. For your information, the operators speak English, French, Dutch and Ukrainian.
- Hosting: If you have any questions, the freephone number 0800/40 400 will answer them and find the right assistance for you .
