- In Seine-Saint-Denis, 8,500 children are followed by child welfare services, of which nearly 6,000 are placed
- 70 children were placed during this confinement. Usually, there are about a hundred a month to be supported by the ASE of this department.
France had barely completed its first month of confinement when the figures already suggested the worst. Between April 13 and 20, the child protection emergency number - 119 - recorded an unprecedented leap: + 90% calls compared to the same week in 2019. Neighbors alerted by shouts on the other side of the wall (+ 84%), young people themselves (+ 80%) or classmates worried about a friend (+ 58%). This indicator, admittedly only based on suspicion or declarative, does it reflect a sharp increase in the number of children who are mistreated, abused, in the closed confinement? "We are preparing for this eventuality, but for the moment, we have no certainty", recognizes Flora Flamarion, Deputy Director General in charge of Childhood in Seine-Saint-Denis.
In this department, the youngest and the poorest in France, nearly 8,500 minors are followed by Child Welfare (ASE), of which just under 6,000 are placed. The others are subject to socio-educational follow-up from home. During this period, one of the priorities was to maintain contact with these families, by telephone or videoconference when possible, physically "at the slightest doubt". Some adolescents had to be placed in foster care for a few days or weeks. "It was not a question of putting an end to violence but rather of defusing a situation of tension, of creating a breath of fresh air for each other", specifies Flora Flamarion. In these homes, overcrowding and lack of schools can quickly escalate conflicts.
Decrease in reports and investigations
But it is not so much the known families as those passed under the radars during this period which worry the professionals of the protection of the child. “We are not talking only about violence, insists the deputy director. Most of the cases we deal with relate to neglect or educational deficiencies. "
In Seine-Saint-Denis, despite calls to 119, the number of worrying information dropped during the confinement. From an average of 350 per month, they rose to 130 in total for the months of March and April. The Bobigny Prosecutor's Office draws a similar conclusion: the number of reports and therefore of investigations for acts of mistreatment has dropped sharply. During this period, 25 temporary placement orders were taken by the court and, in total, nearly 70 minors were placed under the protection of the department's ASE during this confinement. It is little, very little even. Usually, the figures are around one hundred per month (excluding isolated foreign minors).
Fewer reports from professionals
The drop in these indicators can be explained in particular by the deterioration of the alert chain: National Education, and to a lesser extent sports clubs and all extracurricular organizations, are at the origin of the vast majority of reports. Admittedly, some teachers expressed their concerns for pupils for whom they had no news, the PMI remained open, but the vigilance is hardly comparable to that deployed when all the actors are on the ground. "This is a problem all the more important since reports on platforms like 119, if they are necessary, are not as effective and relevant as those of professionals," insists Flora Flamarion.
In this context, the resumption of school is a major issue. But in Seine-Saint-Denis, like everywhere else, classes only reopen in drops and some cities, like Bobigny, have announced that nursery schools and crèches will be closed until September. A blow for child protection professionals who hoped for a quick return of the most fragile families in order to draw up an initial inventory before the summer. For the time being, specifies a judicial source, this first week of partial recovery has not generated an influx of reports.
Society
Deconfinement: Is it more risky for children to stay at home than going to school, as Blanquer claims?
Society
Violence against children: The number of calls to 119 has increased by 20% since the start of confinement
- Paris
- Society
- Abuse
- Child protection