VZW Het Open Poortje

What VZW Het Open Poortje does

VZW Het Open Poortje is a Belgian non-profit (VZW/Vereniging Zonder Winstoogmerk, Ondernemingsnummer 0425.418.244) operating as a Centrum voor Kinderzorg en Gezinsondersteuning (CKG) under Flemish youth welfare oversight (Jongerenwelzijn). Founded in 1948 as the 'Immaculata' colony for war victims and headquartered in Schilde, the organization delivers a continuum of youth and family care services across the Antwerpse Kempen, Antwerpen, Waasland, and Oost-Vlaanderen regions through physical sites in Schilde, Berchem, and Belsele plus decentralized STOP 4-7 teams.

Its service portfolio spans three pillars: residential care (long-term, short-term crisis up to 6 weeks, and a 12-bed program for unaccompanied minor refugees under the Het Wereldpoortje sub-brand); home-based family guidance (Contextbegeleiding including SofS safety planning and Lotus Begeleiding for expecting parents and families with children up to age 3); and group-based training and prevention programs (STOP 4-7 behavioral intervention, Raket social skills training derived from OSLC's LIFT methodology, Oudercursus, individual parent training, Tuimel group guidance, and play counseling). The organization also runs the MODO volunteer-matching network in six municipalities and participates in three 1 Gezin 1 Plan intersectoral teams.

The underlying technology is relational rather than digital, anchored in proprietary methodologies — Roos Van De Ouder (an experiential family assessment instrument developed with KdG-hogeschool) and Kid-OK-Kit (a rights-based child dossier system) — supported by training in attachment theory, non-violent resistance, and child wellbeing screening. Revenue is overwhelmingly government-sourced via regulated CKG care agreements; families are not charged for core services, and voluntary donations, bequests, and Trooper-affiliated online shopping contributions provide supplementary funding.

Name

VZW Het Open Poortje

Legal name

Het Open Poortje VZW

Website

https://hetopenpoortje.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VZW Het Open Poortje is a Belgian non-profit CKG (Centrum voor Kinderzorg en Gezinsondersteuning) delivering residential care, home-based family guidance, and prevention programs for families with children aged 0-12 in the Antwerp and Waasland regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Care and Family Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACALAC

Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

SECONDARYEDACAFAJ

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Intervention & Developmental Services (0–5)

SECONDARYHSAAAIAM

Therapy-Integrated Childcare Support (coordination with OT/PT/SLP/ABA)

Home & Personal Services/Childcare, Babysitting & Nanny Services/Special Needs & Inclusive Childcare Services

SECONDARYEDACAOAG

Family/Parent-Focused SEL & Home Practice Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Social and Emotional Learning Programs

SECONDARYBPADAHAF

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Refugee, Migration & Displacement Services

Keywords

• Youth care services
• Family support programs
• Residential child care
• Parent training programs
• Unaccompanied minor refugee care

Headquarters

HQ city

Schilde

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidies and Referenced Care Funding: As a recognized youth care organization (CKG) under Flemish government oversight, Het Open Poortje receives funding through regulated care agreements with Jongerenwelzijn (Youth Welfare). Residential care placements are made through intersectoral access points, with funding tied to recognized care places.
2. Donations and Gifts: The organization accepts financial donations, gifts, and bequests from individuals. Donations of 40 EUR or more annually qualify for a tax certificate in Belgium. Bank account: BE24 4037 1380 0138 (BIC: KREDBEBB).
3. Legacies and Bequests: The organization accepts testamentary legacies (legaten) from individuals. In Flanders, bequests to non-profit organizations are subject to 0% inheritance tax. Contact: Arnold Schaek, algemeen directeur.
4. Trooper Online Shopping Charity: Participates in Trooper charity program where online shoppers can direct a percentage of purchases to support the organization at no additional cost.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VZW Het Open Poortje is a recognized Centrum voor Kinderzorg en Gezinsondersteuning (CKG) that delivers residential child care, home-based family guidance, parent training, and preventive school programs for families with children aged 0-12 across the Antwerp province and Waasland region. Services span long-term and short-term residential care (including dedicated accommodation for unaccompanied minor refugees), in-home family counseling, structured parent courses, behavioral intervention programs, play therapy, and a volunteer-matching program. Two proprietary methodologies — Roos Van De Ouder and Kid-OK-Kit — are developed in-house and applied across the service portfolio.

Product overview

VZW Het Open Poortje operates as a Center for Child Care and Family Support (CKG) offering a multi-component service portfolio for families with children aged 0-12. The core offerings span three main areas: residential care (long-term, short-term crisis, and NBMV/unaccompanied minor refugee care), home-based family guidance (Contextbegeleiding and Lotus Begeleiding), and group training programs (STOP 4-7, Raket, Oudercursus, Individuele oudertraining, Tuimel begeleiding, and Spelcounseling). Additional services include 1 Gezin 1 Plan intersectoral support and MODO volunteer assistance. The organization has also developed two proprietary methodologies: the Roos Van De Ouder (belevingsgericht instrument for family needs assessment) and Kid OK (interactive child dossier for rights-based documentation). Services are delivered across locations in Schilde (Antwerp province) and Belsele (Waasland), with specialized teams for different programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Het Wereldpoortje: Residential living group for 12 unaccompanied minor refugees (NBMV). Young people who fled their country and arrived in Belgium without parents or legal representatives.
• De Tuimel
• MODO
• STOP 4-7
• Raket
• 1 Gezin 1 Plan

Products and services

• Lange residentiële opvang (Long-term residential care) Long-term residential care for children aged 0-12 combining living-group accommodation with mobile family support. Includes perspective-seeking (up to 1 year, renewable) and perspective-offering (until child turns 6) modules for families facing parenting difficulties.
• Korte residentiële opvang (Short-term residential care) Short-term residential care (maximum 6 weeks, extendable only for serious reasons) for children aged 0-12 during family crises, delivered at the Belsele (Waasland) location.
• Het Wereldpoortje (Residential care for NBMV) Residential living group for 12 unaccompanied minor refugees (primarily boys with average entry age 13-14), providing a safe home base, daily structure, and integration support until age 18.
• Contextbegeleiding (Context guidance) Home-based family support in which a counselor visits to discuss problems, identify strengths, and work toward shared goals with the family network. Includes a specialized safety-planning version (SofS) for high-risk cases.
• Lotus Begeleiding (Amber/Lotus guidance) Weekly home-based family support for expecting parents or families with babies/toddlers up to 3 years, focusing on bonding, child development, and network strengthening.
• Tuimel begeleiding (De Tuimel) Weekly group-based parent and child guidance program at the Berchem location for socially vulnerable families, working on child development, daily structure, and parenting skills with active parent participation.
• STOP 4-7 Intervention program for children aged 4-7 with behavioral problems, combining child social skills training, parent sessions, and teacher sessions with home-based support, delivered by three regional teams.
• Raket Social skills training program for kindergarteners (3rd kindergarten class), based on the LIFT methodology, involving children, parents, and teachers over 16 sessions.
• Individuele oudertraining (Individual parent training) Personalized parenting training delivered at the parent's pace for caregivers whose children display difficult behavior, involving practical exercises and review of techniques.
• Oudercursus (Parent course) Six-week parenting skills training course consisting of 5 group sessions and 1 individual session, teaching love-based approaches to challenging parenting situations.
• Spelcounseling (Play counseling) Play-based therapy in a specially designed playroom where children aged 4-12 process emotions and build resilience through play in weekly sessions.
• 1 Gezin 1 Plan Intersectoral network of partners from family and youth care that helps families create a unified family plan addressing questions about upbringing, education, health, housing, and administration.
• MODO Antwerpse Kempen (volunteer family support) Volunteer organization under Het Open Poortje's umbrella that matches volunteers with vulnerable families for approximately 2 hours of weekly in-home support covering language practice, network building, homework help, and parenting support. Service is free for the family.
• Roos Van De Ouder Proprietary experience-oriented analytical and guidance instrument for family support that uses a color-coded rose metaphor (green/orange/red) to assess family care needs, developed in-house and shared with other youth care organizations through training.
• Kid OK (Kid-OK-Kit) Proprietary interactive child dossier system based on minors' rights, developed internally for semi-residential and mobile youth services to build interactive child dossiers that respect and concretize the rights of young minors (0-12 years).

Quantifiable outcome

• Children can return home from residential care through strengthened family situation
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KdG-hogeschool (Karel de Grote-Hogeschool)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership for development of the Roos Van De Ouder methodology. The experiential family assessment instrument was developed under leadership of pedagogical director Lieve Mortelmans in collaboration with the college's research expertise.
• 1 Gezin 1 Plan (Eén Gezin Eén Plan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHet Open Poortje participates in three 1 Gezin 1 Plan intersectoral teams covering Voor- en Noorderkempen, Antwerpen, and Waas en Dender regions. This network coordinates support from various family and youth care providers to create unified family plans.
• Huis van het Kind VoorkempenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the DOMO project (later MODO) launched in 2018, where volunteers provide support to vulnerable families. Later expanded with support from 6 municipalities.
• Municipalities (Schilde, Zandhoven, Zoersel, Wijnegem, Ranst, Brecht)minorOthersSix municipalities provide funding and support for the MODO volunteer program serving vulnerable families in the Antwerpse Kempen region.
• MODO Antwerpse KempencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization under Het Open Poortje's umbrella, with its own identity and network of volunteers supporting vulnerable families in Voorkempen, Noorderkempen, and Ranst. Started as DOMO project in 2018, renamed MODO in 2024.
• Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC)minorOthersThe RAKET social skills training program is based on the LIFT methodology developed by Gerald Patterson's research group at OSLC in the United States. RAKET is the Flemish adapted version of LIFT.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• vzw Dominiek Savio: Dominiek Savio is a Belgian youth care organization providing residential and family support services for children and youth with challenging circumstances. Comparable in mission and operational model to Het Open Poortje's family support and residential care portfolio.
• Minor Ndako: Minor Ndako provides housing and support for unaccompanied minor refugees (NBMV) in Belgium. Directly comparable to Het Wereldpoortje's residential NBMV program, serving the same highly vulnerable refugee youth population with similar trauma-informed approaches.
• SOS Kinderdorpen België: SOS Children's Villages Belgium operates residential family-based care for children who cannot live with their families. Directly comparable to Het Open Poortje's residential care offerings (lange residentiële opvang) for vulnerable children in Belgium.
• Pleegzorg Vlaanderen: Pleegzorg Vlaanderen coordinates foster care placements across Flanders as an alternative to residential care. Comparable to Het Open Poortje as part of the Flemish youth welfare ecosystem, addressing family-based versus residential care pathways for vulnerable children.
• Emmaüs Belgium: Emmaüs Belgium supports vulnerable populations including families and youth through social services and community-based programs. Comparable as a non-profit social services organization addressing similar vulnerable family populations in Belgium.
• vzw De Krijtmolen: De Krijtmolen is a Flemish youth care organization providing residential and ambulatory support for children and youth with behavioral and developmental challenges. Directly comparable in residential youth care model and Flemish intersectoral positioning.
• CAW (Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk): CAW is a Flemish social services organization providing general welfare support including youth and family services. Directly comparable to Het Open Poortje's mission of supporting vulnerable families and children, with similar referral pathways through intersectoral networks.

Broad incumbents

• Opgroeien (formerly Kind en Gezin): Opgroeien is the Flemish government agency overseeing child and family welfare, including youth care regulation and Kind en Gezin services. Comparable as the regulatory and policy counterpart that funds and references Het Open Poortje's CKG operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hetopenpoortjeschilde
• Instagraminstagram.com/hetopenpoortje
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vzw-het-open-poortje

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

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 VZW Het Open Poortje