Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen

What Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen does

Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen (VBOV) is a Belgian non-profit professional association (vzw) headquartered in Antwerp that serves as the recognised representative body for midwives practicing in the Flanders region. The organisation provides professional membership services to practising and student midwives, delivering continuing-education through the VBOV Academie webinar platform, a biweekly electronic newsletter, regional 'vroedvrouwenkring' networking circles, and a job-vacancy board. Its flagship product is the Good Practice Logo (GPL), a quality certification framework consisting of 31 evidence-based recommendations for perinatal care and 9 mandatory conditions that midwives must meet to obtain and display the logo.

VBOV operates a web-based platform at vroedvrouwen.be featuring a searchable directory of 1,267 registered midwives filterable by location, language, and care type, an online learning management system at vbovacademie.vroedvrouwen.be, an e-commerce webshop with publisher partnerships, and a member portal. The technology stack is a conventional CMS-based web platform without disclosed AI/ML components; integration is delivered through partner-handled insurance distribution rather than embedded technical integrations.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring annual membership fees from midwives, group insurance policies (civil liability via Fidea with 750 enrolled members and guaranteed-income cover via PRECURA, with premiums ranging from €75 to €1,225/year depending on employment type and RIZIV status), and webshop publication sales. Customers are segmented primarily into practising midwives (the direct paying membership base), student midwives (secondary), and expectant/new parents (secondary, served through the public-facing GPL directory). The organisation cooperates formally with the Flemish child-and-family agency Kind & Gezin, perinatal epidemiology research via SPE, and multiple home-based maternity-care expertise centres, embedding VBOV within the regional perinatal care delivery system.

Name

Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen

Legal name

Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen vzw

Website

https://vroedvrouwen.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VBOV is the Flemish professional association for midwives in Belgium, providing quality certification (Good Practice Logo), continuing education through VBOV Academie, group insurance, and a searchable directory of 1,267 practitioners serving both midwives and expectant parents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerpen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: VBOV generates revenue through annual membership fees from midwives. Members receive access to group insurance policies, the GPL certification, professional development resources, and member discounts on products through the webshop.
2. Group Insurance Policies: VBOV offers group insurance policies to members including civil liability insurance (750 members currently enrolled) and guaranteed income insurance. Insurance premiums range from €75 to €1,225 per year depending on employment status and services provided.
3. Webshop Sales: The VBOV webshop sells publications and products from the Flemish Professional Organization of Midwives. Members receive discounts on products from publishers such as Lannoo and Borgerhoff & Lamberigts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VBOV is a non-profit professional membership association for midwives in Flanders, Belgium. Its core offerings include the Good Practice Logo (GPL) quality certification for perinatal care, collectively-negotiated group insurance policies (professional civil liability and guaranteed income), the VBOV Academie online learning platform for continuing professional development, a public searchable directory of 1,267 registered midwives, a member webshop with discounted publications, and biweekly newsletters covering scientific, legislative, and professional updates.

Product overview

The Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen (VBOV) operates a professional association platform serving Belgian midwives with multiple interconnected products and services. The core offerings include the Good Practice Logo (GPL) quality certification framework for perinatal care, the VBOV Academie for professional development and webinars, a searchable directory of 1,267 registered midwives, and a VBOV Webshop for member resources. Supporting services include group insurance products (professional liability and income protection), a biweekly newsletter system, and a job vacancy platform. The association facilitates collaboration through regional midwifery circles (vroedvrouwenkringen) and working groups on topics like infant nutrition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VBOV Academie: Professional training and education platform for midwives offering webinars such as 'Born in Belgium Professionals'
• Good Practice Logo (GPL)

Products and services

• Good Practice Logo (GPL) Certification
• VBOV Academie
• Group Professional Liability Insurance (Verzekering Burgerlijke Aansprakelijkheid)
• Group Guaranteed Income Insurance (Groepsverzekering Gewaarborgd Inkomen)
• Zoek een Vroedvrouw (Find a Midwife) Search Directory
• VBOV Webshop
• Vacatureplatform (Job Listings Platform)

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• All-inSurance & Finance - CPS VerzekeringencoreOthersInsurance partner handling group insurance policies for VBOV members including civil liability and guaranteed income insurance. Located at Lindestraat 2, 9090 Melle. Contact: 09/27 27 444 from 8u30 to 12u30. Contact persons: Christine Demeyer (0477/56 19 83) and Gregory Slock (0495 77 84 59). Also handles RIZIV social status inquiries.
• PRECURAcoreOthersInsurance company specializing in group guaranteed income policies. VBOV offers members the ability to obtain guaranteed income insurance through PRECURA starting 01/11/2019. As of 01/06/2020, age limit for new contracts is 50 years. Day allowance options range from €40 to €75 per day.
• Kind & GezincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with Kind & Gezin (Flemish child and family agency). Midwives are advised to maintain close cooperation and respect the terms in the cooperation protocol, which includes two goals: pursuing complementarity in services and continuity of care. Midwives must inform every family about Kind & Gezin's services and verify that every baby has been registered.
• Expertisecentra Kraamzorg (ECK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Expertise Centers for Maternity Care (ECK). These centers were established with the explicit goal of further developing and disseminating knowledge and experience around home-based maternity care. Examples include De Kraamtuin, De Kraamvogel, De Wieg, De Volle Maan, and Kraamkaravaan.
• Studiecentrum Perinatale Epidemiologie (SPE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBOV collaborates with the Study Center for Perinatal Epidemiology on data collection. Midwives are encouraged to register perinatal data for every birth to maintain quality standards in postnatal care in Flanders. SPE publishes annual reports on birth and delivery trends.
• FideacoreOthersInsurance company providing group civil liability insurance for VBOV members. Self-employed midwives with deliveries can obtain a discount on BA-medical insurance by purchasing the PAKKET (package of 2 additional damage insurances from Fidea), reducing the annual premium from €1,110 to €770.
• Hospitals and Healthcare ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVBOV promotes collaboration between midwives and local hospitals, gynecologists, pediatricians, general practitioners, and other healthcare providers. Regional 'vroedvrouwenkring' circles facilitate dialogue with hospitals and healthcare organizations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Confederation of Midwives (ICM): The global umbrella organization of which VBOV-style national associations are members. ICM sets international standards, accreditation frameworks, and represents the midwifery profession globally, comparable in mission but operating at a much broader geographic scale.
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC): The UK regulator for nurses and midwives. Overlaps with VBOV's scope of professional standards, public register, and quality assurance for midwives, though operating as a statutory regulator rather than a voluntary association.

Direct peers

• Australian College of Midwives (ACM): National professional body for midwives in Australia with a comparable member-services model: continuing professional development, professional standards, advocacy, and member insurance arrangements similar in concept to VBOV's offerings.
• American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM): The leading US professional association for certified nurse-midwives and midwives. Comparable membership organization offering certification, continuing education, advocacy, and member benefits analogous to VBOV's GPL and Academie programs.
• Royal College of Midwives (RCM): The UK professional body and trade union for midwives. Comparable to VBOV in representing midwives, providing CPD, lobbying on policy, and offering member benefits including insurance and professional resources.
• Conseil national de l'Ordre des sages-femmes: The French national regulatory and professional body for midwives. Comparable to VBOV in representing midwives to government, maintaining professional standards, and providing member-facing services, though with regulatory authority over and above what VBOV holds in Belgium.
• New Zealand College of Midwives (NZCOM): New Zealand's national professional organization for midwives, comparable to VBOV in delivering CPD, setting practice standards, and providing member services including professional indemnity arrangements.
• Deutscher Hebammenverband (DHV): The German national professional association for midwives. Comparable in providing member services, professional representation, and quality standards for midwives, with a similar structure of regional chapters and member benefits.
• Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM): National midwifery association in Canada providing member advocacy, education, and representation. Structurally similar to VBOV as a voluntary professional association serving practicing midwives.
• KNOV (Koninklijke Nederlandse Organisatie van Verloskundigen): The Dutch national professional association for midwives, directly analogous to VBOV in Flanders. KNOV represents practicing midwives, runs quality initiatives, negotiates with insurers and government, and offers member services in a neighboring Benelux market with similar midwifery scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vlaamse Beroepsorganisatie van Vroedvrouwen