As part of Children's Week organized by the Department, young people entrusted to the ASE in the region were invited to apply to become members of the Youth Council. This Council, which will meet every six weeks, aims to give voice to children in care, to allow them to discuss their situation and to generate new positive ideas and concrete proposals. This body is part of the Department's approach to involving children more strongly, listening to them and inviting them to discuss subjects that concern them. To apply, young people wrote a letter, sent a video and completed a form. 44 motivated young people were selected to form what became the first Child Protection Youth Council in Maine-et-Loire. Each of the four departmental solidarity centers (North Anjou, West Anjou, East Anjou, Center Anjou) is represented by eleven children.
A goal of sharing and improvement
Nicolas, 18 years old, testifies: “I have quite a few ideas to share. I also want to listen to those of others. I have a question: What are the arrangements for young people in care after the age of 18? I think this Youth Council is a good thing”. Within this regular Council, questions of support during the transition to adulthood, questions about places of residence, the relationship with educators and even the autonomy of young people will be addressed. From the installation of the Council and after the official introduction of Françoise Damas, the members were keen to share their experiences and discuss their daily lives. For Lucie, 20 years old: “I want to talk about my story. Say what can be improved and what is good too. I find it super interesting to have a place where we can express ourselves too. I also want to tell the youngest among us that even if the relationship with educators is sometimes difficult, without them I would not have become the young girl that I am.”
Making the voices of children in the care of child welfare heard
All the young members of this body, aged 8 to 21, are currently cared for by a host family or in a specialized establishment in Maine-et-Loire. This experiment by the Department demonstrates a real desire among elected officials and professionals to change things positively, to listen to users and to improve the reception conditions for children in care. Cécile Fau is an agent of the Department, Responsible for monitoring user participation and Youth Council. She notably participated in the recruitment of members. “The installation of the Council is a success, the young people were happy. They got to know each other, discussed children’s rights and talked about their goals.”
