Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures and Tables
- List of Abbreviations
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: An Introduction
- 2 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: Understandings and Responsibilities
- 3 England: Attempting to Learn From Mistakes in an Increasingly ‘Risk Averse’ Professional Context
- 4 The Social Construction of Child Abuse in Ireland: Public Discourse, Policy Challenges and Practice Failures
- 5 The Level-Headed Approach on Errors and Mistakes in Dutch Child Protection: An Individual Duty or a Shared Responsibility?
- 6 The Finnish Approach to Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: Trust in Practitioners and Service Users?
- 7 Errors and Mistakes in the Norwegian Child Protection System
- 8 The Political-Administrative and the Professional Approach to Errors and Mistakes in Swedish Child Protection
- 9 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection in Switzerland: A Missed Opportunity of Reflection?
- 10 Discourses, Approaches and Strategies on Errors And Mistakes in Child Protection in Germany
- 11 Dysfunctions in French Child Protection
- 12 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: An Unspoken Issue in Italy?
- 13 Preventing and Responding to Errors in Us Child Protection
- 14 Dealing With Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: Similarities and Differences Among Countries
- Index
11 - Dysfunctions in French Child Protection
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 March 2021
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures and Tables
- List of Abbreviations
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: An Introduction
- 2 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: Understandings and Responsibilities
- 3 England: Attempting to Learn From Mistakes in an Increasingly ‘Risk Averse’ Professional Context
- 4 The Social Construction of Child Abuse in Ireland: Public Discourse, Policy Challenges and Practice Failures
- 5 The Level-Headed Approach on Errors and Mistakes in Dutch Child Protection: An Individual Duty or a Shared Responsibility?
- 6 The Finnish Approach to Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: Trust in Practitioners and Service Users?
- 7 Errors and Mistakes in the Norwegian Child Protection System
- 8 The Political-Administrative and the Professional Approach to Errors and Mistakes in Swedish Child Protection
- 9 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection in Switzerland: A Missed Opportunity of Reflection?
- 10 Discourses, Approaches and Strategies on Errors And Mistakes in Child Protection in Germany
- 11 Dysfunctions in French Child Protection
- 12 Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: An Unspoken Issue in Italy?
- 13 Preventing and Responding to Errors in Us Child Protection
- 14 Dealing With Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: Similarities and Differences Among Countries
- Index
Summary
Introduction
The child protection system in France has experienced successive dysfunctions since the 1990s, translated into poor quality protection and even children's deaths. These have led to large-scale administrative and legislative reforms. Most of the time, the element that triggers the reforms has been media coverage of the dysfunction: a particular event (often a death) moves public opinion and the authorities have to provide a response almost immediately. Occasionally, the media focus on situations of distress and suffering, often alerted by the results of research that have made them visible and understandable. Whatever the situations, users’ defence associations have also played a key role in this function of alerting public opinion and proposing reforms.
Following a presentation of the child protection system in France, we will analyse the way in which the term dysfunction (disfonctionnement) seems most suitable to understand the situation in the country, as the terms error (erreur) and failure (faute), used less frequently, do not account for the cases found. Our analysis will focus on major dysfunctions that have moved public opinion (cases that have led to deaths), or that have been gradually revealed by researchers and users’ associations (lack of participation by parents, difficulties in making the transition to adulthood due to lack of support) and led to reforms or proposals for reform. Our study considers situations classified as dysfunctions in the child protection system from the 1980s onwards, a period in which children's rights have become a priority for French society.
The child protection system in France
In France, child protection is a public policy based on a substantial body of legislation, established originally by legislation in 1889 and largely reformed by Acts in 2007 and 2016. This system of child protection, including all prevention and protection measures, is now heavily decentralised by the state to the 101 departments (départements, administrative and political divisions) that make up the territory of France. It is therefore managed and funded by departments via their child welfare service (Aide sociale à l’enfance) (Gabriel et al, 2013; Bolter and Séraphin, 2018).
The child protection system is based on the principle of subsidiarity between an administrative authority and a judicial authority. The administrative authority is held by the President of the Department Council.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Errors and Mistakes in Child ProtectionInternational Discourses, Approaches and Strategies, pp. 193 - 214Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2020