In June 2018, the Igas was seized after remarks by a leader of the adoption department of Seine-Maritime, who considered that homosexual couples were "a little atypical", and who suggested they could adopt children "atypical ", like" disabled "children.
The Inspectorate General of Social Affairs has noted "several mechanisms that have led to reduce the likelihood of approval" of adoption for singles and same-sex couples, in the report published Friday on the control of adoption procedures in Seine-Maritime.
"The mission has identified several mechanisms that have led to a reduction in the likelihood of accreditation, and even more so, to systematically orient adoption proposals on certain profiles of parents, to the detriment of others", states the Igas in its synthesis.
"A tacit rule favoring heteroparental couples". The Igas had been seized after remarks made by a leader of the adoption service of Seine-Maritime in June 2018. Pascale Lemare had estimated in an interview with France Bleu Normandie that the homosexual couples were "a little atypical" and had suggested that they could adopt "atypical" children, such as "disabled" children.
The report observes that "a selection was gradually imposed in the course of adopters: dissuasive information for singles and homoparents and a more restrictive selection of singles at the phase of relatedness". In other words, "there has been a tacit rule favoring heteroparental couples". And, "with regard to applications for homoparents, the adoption was proposed to them, for the period 2013 (date of the law opening the adoption to homosexual couples) to 2017, that for children with specific needs" , that is to say in poor health or handicapped.
The mission considers that "this is a paradoxical position that leads to not considering these families as priorities for the reception of a newborn without specific needs and to recognize them as special skills to accommodate an older child and / or having problems health or disability ".
Igas wants to "consolidate national steering". Igas points out that the control only concerned the department of Seine-Maritime. "However, it appears from national interviews that the exclusion of singles from national adoption would be common practice in a majority of family councils in France". With regard to homoparental couples, "family councils seem a little less closed" and "adopting couples would be about ten to date".
The inspection makes 14 recommendations, including "consolidating national steering" and "guarantee by adherence to a charter of ethics, the absence of discrimination between families".
A parliamentary mission soon launched. The association of homoparental families ADFH, which had lodged a complaint against Pascale Lemare, "welcomes the work of the Igas in the matter and wishes that the Ministry of Health initiates a reform to eliminate discrimination between adopters." For its part, the Ministry of Solidarities and Health believes that "this report, if it does not provide tangible evidence to conclude, in Seine-Maritime, discrimination against couples homoparental, puts in light insufficient supervision and lack of transparency of certain phases of the procedure of adoption of the wards of the State ".
Also Minister Agnès Buzyn asks Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State for Child Protection, "to conduct a reflection on the subject of adoption," according to the statement of the Ministry. In addition, "a parliamentary mission supported by Igas members will be launched shortly" to "discuss the adoption of wards to improve the transparency and readability of procedures".