This paper explores the impact of globalisation and neo-liberalism policies on child care provision, with a special focus on Belgium. It provides an overview of the historical context, and shows how even in Belgium social democratic welfare state globalisation has stimulated privatisation and decentralisation of services, and forced parents to take direct responsibility for the care of their children. The paper suggests that policy makers need to balance competing demands: government responsibility versus autonomy; standardisation versus diversity; inclusion versus exclusion
