Applying for accreditation as a family planning clinic

This procedure is intended for non-profit legal entities that wish to be recognised by the Walloon Region as family planning clinics.

To be accredited, the clinic must meet several conditions:

Legal form and location

You must be:

• a public authority or a non-profit legal entity;
• located in the Walloon Region, within a defined healthcare area; and
• established in the French-speaking part of the Walloon Region.

Multidisciplinary team:

You must have a qualified and multidisciplinary team covering at least the following roles:

• medical
• psychological
• social
• legal
• general coordination.

On an optional basis, your team may also include roles such as:

• sexologist;
• marriage and family counsellor;
• administration; and
• maintenance.

Infrastructure:

You must:

• have functioning premises that guarantee confidentiality; and
• ensure accessibility for people with reduced mobility.

Organisation and operation:

You must draw up:

• a clinic plan; and
• internal regulations.

The clinic plan must be user-focused and include:

• an analysis of the internal and external environment of the clinic;
• an assessment of the objectives and activities; and
• planning for those objectives and activities.

The clinic’s activities must be organised into four departments:

• the reception and application management department
• the multidisciplinary support department
• the information, awareness and education department
• the communications department.

You must:

• open the clinic for the public without prior appointment at least 12 hours per week; and
• ensure that the clinic is accessible:
• either one evening per week until 19:00;
• or on Saturday mornings.

Obligations

You must:

• ensure strict confidentiality;
• comply with the rules regarding privacy and professional secrecy; and
• send an activity report to AVIQ every year.

Grant:

During the accreditation period, you may receive an annual grant to fund:

• staff expenditure covered by staff regulations or employment contracts;
• general coordination; and
• operating costs, in accordance with the thresholds and procedures determined by the government.

You will receive:

• official recognition from Wallonia for your work in sexual, emotional and reproductive health; and
• an annual grant to fund:
• staff benefits, based on the scales set by the government; and
• operating costs, based on a flat rate according to the category of the clinic.

Initial contact

You must:

• contact AVIQ to check whether a place is available in your healthcare area; or
• wait for a call for applications to be published.

Submitting an application

You must:

• complete the official form;
• gather the required documents; and
• send your application to AVIQ by the deadline.

The application for accreditation is submitted to the government, through AVIQ, by the clinic’s governing body.

The application must include at least:

• the company number, identification and articles of association of the governing body;
• the family planning clinic plan;
• the members of the multidisciplinary team, the scope of services provided and their qualifications;
• a floor plan of the premises; and
• the internal regulations of the clinic.

Applications are free of charge.

• AVIQ will acknowledge receipt of the application within 10 days of receiving the complete file.
• If the file is incomplete, AVIQ will request the missing documents.
• Information relating to the floor plan and the internal regulations may be sent no later than six months after accreditation has been granted. Failure to do so will result in the accreditation being suspended.
• AVIQ will arrange an inspection within three months following submission of the complete file.
• The findings of the inspection will be sent to the governing body within one month.
• The governing has one month to respond.
• Once this period has elapsed, AVIQ will send the file to the Minister.
• The Minister will adjudicate on the application within two months.

You must enclose the following with your application:

• the family planning clinic plan, describing:
• the vision, missions and values;
• the target audience;
• the proposed activities in the relevant departments;
• the envisaged partnerships; and
• the internal organisational structure and working methods;
• the internal regulations;
• a floor plan of the premises, with a description of accessibility for people with reduced mobility;
• if there is no accessibility for people with reduced mobility:
• a request for exemption;
• the alternative solutions proposed;
• an excerpt from the minutes of the Board of Directors’ meeting approving the application;
• proof of the legal representative’s power to act, if not published in the Belgian Official Gazette;
• a list of the members of the multidisciplinary team, specifying:
• their qualifications;
• the services provided, in full-time equivalents; and
• the status of each member (employee, self-employed, volunteer).

• CWASS – Book III – TITLE II – Centers and federations of family and marital planning and counseling centers. – Articles 183 to 218/22
• CRWASS – PART TWO – SECTORAL PROVISIONS – Book IV. – TITLE III. – Center and federation of family and marital planning and counseling centers – Articles 291 to 319

You may appeal in accordance with the rules of the Walloon Social Action and Health Code (Code wallon de l’action sociale et de la santé).