Belgium

This article outlines the support system in Flanders, which is generally the best organised region in Belgium with regard to services for people with learning disabilities. Although Belgium is known internationally for its community care for people with mental health problems in Geel, this article shows that, in contrast, a very specialised care system has developed for people with intellectual disabilities. In an attempt to do better than the medical model of the old psychiatric institutions, a network of mostly residential facilities has been organised, starting from the special school system. This was supposed to make sure that certain children and adults received the protection, care and support they needed, taking into account their problems in adapting to the expectations of an industrial and post‐industrial society. The current situation in Belgium shows that this system of specialised, categorical services seems to be very hard to change, although a paradigm shift towards more inclusive service models can be observed.