France’s child protection system, the Aide Sociale à l’Enfance (ASE), which supports approximately 400,000 children and young adults, is facing severe criticism for its repeated failures to safeguard vulnerable minors.
A parliamentary commission of inquiry recently presented its conclusions, after months of investigation, shedding light on the system’s dysfunction and neglect.
The ASE is intended to provide a secure environment for children in need of care due to abuse, neglect, or family instability. However, a series of troubling reports indicate systemic flaws that continue to undermine the safety and well-being of those it aims to protect.
One such individual is Maëva, now 23, who was placed in the ASE system at 16 after enduring mistreatment from her mother. Sent hundreds of kilometers away to La Creuse, she became one of 60 children placed within an unlicensed foster network.
The two men managing this network were later convicted in December 2024 for violent acts and illegal employment. Maëva’s experiences in the system were harrowing.
“Due to lack of space, I was told to stay in the caravan,” she recalled. “It was filthy inside, and I had to relieve myself behind the caravan because at night, they locked the house.”
During her placement, she was not enrolled in school, and her caseworker failed to provide necessary support, leading Maëva to run away. “ASE was the biggest problem of my life,” she concluded, highlighting the lasting emotional scars of her ordeal.
Reports reveal that the system’s shortcomings go beyond individual experiences. Court-ordered placements, meant to secure immediate protection, are often not carried out. In 2023 alone, more than 3,300 such orders were ignored, according to the Magistrates’ Union.
Family Court Judge Marie Le Verre from Nantes confirmed that around 30 of her orders remain unenforced at any given time, raising serious concerns about the long-term effects on children who are left without the protection they need.
“The risk,” she warns, “is that these children no longer respect the society that did not protect them.” The failures within the ASE system are not limited to logistical issues like placements.
The system has also been criticized for separating siblings, placing children in unsuitable structures, and providing inadequate psychological support. Social worker Olivier Treneul, a member of the SUD trade union, points to these systemic failures, stating that “child protection is abusive,” and in some cases, “it can even be deadly.”
His concerns are validated by the tragic death of a young girl, Lily, who took her own life in a hotel where she was placed in January 2024.
These failures have a profound impact on the future of those affected. Hamza Bensatem, a former foster child himself, now works with Adepape 13, an association that aids young adults leaving the child protection system.
He warns that despite legal changes providing post-care support, many former ASE children find themselves homeless. “One in four homeless people born in France were in care as a child,” he points out, highlighting the long-term challenges faced by these individuals.
The inquiry’s findings underscore a system at breaking point, with experts calling for immediate reforms to ensure the safety and dignity of vulnerable children and young adults.
The ASE system is supposed to protect the most at-risk members of society, but instead, it continues to fail them in critical ways. The need for reform has never been clearer.
