CAW Oost-Vlaanderen

What CAW Oost-Vlaanderen does

CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, legally organized as CAW Groep vzw (vereniging zonder winstoogmerk), is a Belgian non-profit general welfare center headquartered in Ghent, East Flanders. Founded in 2014 and employing 191 staff, the organization delivers free, professional, and confidential welfare services across eight thematic areas: personal well-being, relationships and family, youth support, victim assistance, housing and shelter, migration, administration and finances, and justice and detention. Service delivery is conducted through a distributed network of physical CAW Houses (walk-in centers) across East Flanders, supplemented by phone (Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00), live chat (Mon–Fri 13:00–17:00), and email channels with a three-business-day response guarantee. A dedicated sub-brand, JAC (Jongeren Advies Centrum), addresses youth aged 12–25 with a separate domain (jac.be).

The organization operates as a designated regional welfare center within Belgium's national CAW network, holding a government-backed mandate to provide accessible welfare services to all residents regardless of background or eligibility. All services are provided free of charge to end users, with the organization funded primarily through government subsidies and public funding. CAW pursues a community-led go-to-market approach relying on organic content marketing, podcast distribution (Elke Vraag Telt), community testimonials, and partnerships such as Kiwanis Diepenbeek for youth empowerment. The technology stack is a standard web platform with Google Analytics for usage tracking; no proprietary AI, automation, or differentiated software capabilities are indicated. The organization maintains no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no venture backing, and no M&A activity.

Name

CAW Oost-Vlaanderen

Legal name

CAW Groep vzw

Website

https://cawoostvlaanderen.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CAW Oost-Vlaanderen is a Belgian non-profit welfare center providing free, confidential services across crisis support, youth, victim assistance, housing, migration, and justice domains to all residents of East Flanders, delivered through neighborhood CAW Houses and digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Social welfare services
• Victim support
• Youth counseling
• Crisis intervention
• Housing assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Ghent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public/Government Funding: As a general welfare center (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk) in Belgium, CAW operates as a nonprofit organization primarily funded through government subsidies and public funding. Services are provided free of charge to citizens.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CAW Oost-Vlaanderen (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk) provides free, professional, and confidential welfare support services to residents of East Flanders, Belgium. Services span eight thematic areas: personal wellbeing, relationships and family, youth support, victim assistance, housing and shelter, migration, administration and finances, and justice and detention. Support is delivered through CAW Houses (walk-in centers), phone, live chat, email, and dedicated youth centers (JAC).

Product overview

CAW (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk) is a social welfare organization offering free, professional, and confidential assistance. The core CAW service provides multiple support channels (mail, chat, phone, in-person) across eight main thematic areas: personal well-being, relationships and family, youth support, victim assistance, housing and shelter, migration, administration and finances, and justice and detention. JAC (Jongeren Adviescentrum) operates as a dedicated sub-brand for youth aged 12-25. Contact is available via mail (response within 3 business days), chat (Mon-Fri 13:00-17:00), phone (Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00), and in-person visits at CAW locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JAC: Jongeren Advies Centrum (Youth Advice Center) - support service for young people aged 12-25 with dedicated website jac.be
• CAW Huis

Products and services

• CAW Welfare Services (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk)

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kiwanis DiepenbeekminorOthersLocal community partnership with Kiwanis Diepenbeek, a service club that supports youth initiatives. Kiwanis Diepenbeek has worked with CAW on youth empowerment programs, featuring testimonials about making young people stronger.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Child Focus: Belgian foundation specialized in missing children and online child sexual exploitation, operating the 116 000 hotline. Materially comparable to CAW's child protection and youth welfare services, though focused on a narrower child-safety niche within an overlapping target population.
• Tele-Onthaal: Belgian 24/7 emotional support helpline offering free, anonymous crisis support via phone and chat. Overlaps directly with CAW's emotional wellbeing and crisis intervention services, particularly serving users seeking support outside CAW's weekday business hours.
• Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen: Flemish refugee and migrant support organization providing legal assistance, advocacy, and integration support. Directly comparable to CAW's 'Migratie' thematic area, with overlapping service offerings and target populations for asylum seekers and migrants in Belgium.
• CAW Antwerpen: Sister CAW welfare center serving the Antwerp province with identical service model and government designation. Operates the same free, confidential welfare services (youth, victim support, housing, migration, etc.) under the national CAW umbrella, making it the closest functional mirror of CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
• CAW West-Vlaanderen: Sister CAW welfare center serving the West Flanders province with the same service suite, regulatory framework, and free-access model as other regional CAW centers. Provides directly comparable welfare services under the national CAW designation.
• CAW Limburg: Sister CAW welfare center serving the Limburg province with identical service scope, eight thematic areas, and free confidential welfare delivery model as CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.

Emerging players

• Mindler (Belgium): Digital mental health platform active in Belgium offering convenient app-based therapy and counseling. Targets similar emotional wellbeing and mental health navigation use cases as CAW's personal well-being services, but delivers through a modern digital, employer-subsidized model.
• OpenUp (Belgium): Mental health and wellbeing platform offering digital access to psychologists, coaches, and self-help tools. Competes with CAW's general wellbeing services through convenient digital delivery and employer-subsidized access for working-age populations.

Others

• Rode Kruis Vlaanderen: Belgian Red Cross humanitarian organization providing complementary welfare-adjacent services including emergency aid, refugee support, and social assistance. Operates in adjacent humanitarian space rather than as a direct competitor to CAW's general welfare services.
• Dokters van de Wereld (Belgium): Belgian branch of Doctors of the World providing medical and social care to vulnerable populations including undocumented migrants and people in precarious housing. Overlaps with CAW's migrant and housing-insecure segments as an adjacent humanitarian provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caw-oost-vlaanderen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CAW Oost-Vlaanderen