More than a thousand people took to the streets in Paris on September 25 to denounce the state of ” dilapidation » from the child protection sector and demand a « strong reaction ” of the new government.
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She is angry, but remains surprisingly calm and composed. A psychologist in a child welfare home in Moselle (eastern France), Marine came to Paris to warn of the glaring failure of a system that is at the end of its tether. With justice system saturated, financially drained associations and social workers in overdrive, the problems are numerous. The emergency is to have places. We don’t have any places. A concrete example is a child who stayed in hospital for more than a year without even having schooling because there was no place in a home. ” she reports to the microphone of Laurence Théaultfrom the French service of RFI.
3,350 children awaiting placement
Like this little boy in hospital, 3,350 children are still waiting for a placement measure, or they are being bounced from foster home to foster family with bumpy paths. What is terrible is that these are children who have attachment disorders and to whom we add, in fact, an abandonment dimension. So, it is terrible, they are alone, abandoned. These are children who are left behind. ” she denounces.
In addition to these children waiting to be placed, more than 3,000 live on the streets. Not to mention the young adults who, once they have left the systemChild welfarefind themselves with nothing and slip into spirals of exclusion leading them to live on the streets. Today in France, 40% of homeless people under 25 have been through the ASE.
With red hair on the ends and a pale complexion, Lysandre, 17, has been a child in care since she was very young. She now lives in a home. She is the first to be affected. What I know is that we are lacking. I need support. My friends in foster homes need support. All children in France need support, whether in foster homes or from their parents. “And when the girl is asked if she has ever felt ashamed of being a child in care, she does not want to answer the question.
Malfunctions pointed out
Due to a lack of available places, more and more minors are forced to wait with their families, despite court decisions considering them to be in danger in their homes. Long invisible, the situation of the approximately 377,000 children subject to a protection measure under the ASE has returned to the forefront in recent years with the death of several children in care.
A parliamentary commission of inquirywhich had begun in mid-May to look into the shortcomings of child protection policies, came to an abrupt end with the dissolution of the National Assembly in early June 2024. The Socialist Party group has since tabled a motion for a resolution to recreate it.
Also listen toChild protection: “The situation is catastrophic”