It is one of the most useful jobs in France, but it is difficult to recruit. The profession of family assistant has been going through a serious vocations crisis for the past ten years. Responsible for welcoming in their homes suffering children who have suffered serious educational deficiencies and placed by child welfare (ASE), the family assistants are about 40,000. Very low numbers, knowing that about 85,000 children are placed in their homes. And the number of young people in foster care has increased significantly over the past ten years: “The increase is 22% between 1996 and 2017”, explains to 20 minutes the cabinet of Adrien Taquet, the Secretary of State in charge of children. Since the health crisis, requests for emergency placement of judges have increased, without always being able to be satisfied.
This shortage affects all departments and could worsen further in the coming years. “The average age of family assistants being 55, 80% of them will retire in ten years,” says Adrien Taquet’s office. Professionals – mainly women – who have been doing this job for fifteen, twenty or thirty years. “There are no longer any young people who want to pursue a career in the service”, underlines Martine Orlak, president of the National Federative Union of associations of foster families and maternal assistants (Ufnafaam).
“When they arrive in host families, they are broken”
The profiles of current family assistants are very diverse. “Many are medico-social workers in retraining who want to bring well-being to children”, describes Marie-Noëlle Petitgas, president of the National Association of maternal assistants, assistants and family welcome (Anamaaf). “Others are civil servants who retired very early and want to continue working. Some are also attracted by the idea of working as a couple, ”adds Martine Orlak. This job brings a lot of satisfaction, according to Marie-Noëlle Petitgas, who has been practicing it for forty years: “We forge very strong human relationships with children and it is a pleasure to see them evolve, to succeed in what they do. feel better about themselves, ”she describes.
But according to professionals, the profession is beset by more and more difficulties. “Some children are kept with their birth family for too long. And have been exposed to educational negligence or violence for several years. When they arrive in host families, they are broken, ”says Marie-Noëlle Petitgas. “A young person is sometimes placed at the age of 15, and we do not have much time left to do wonders before he turns 18”, continues Martine Orlak. Another difficulty, according to Adrien Taquet’s office: “A quarter of the children received are disabled. And a large number have behavioral problems ”. “In addition, the health crisis has generated resignations, because professional difficulties have increased: confinements have generated stress in the children placed and increased certain behavioral disorders,” adds Marie-Noëlle Petitgas.
A feeling of loneliness
Difficulties facing which family carers often feel very lonely. Because even if they have a professional referent responsible for supporting them, “some are content with two meetings per year. However, we cannot do this work without being part of a team, ”emphasizes Martine Orlak. Admittedly, many departments set up training courses and discussion groups for professionals, but the offer is uneven depending on the territory. The control of family assistants is also very irregular: “In some large departments, it does not take place every year”, we admit to the secretariat in charge of children.
The problem of attractiveness of the profession is also due to its unattractive remuneration, whereas it is necessary to have accommodation large enough to be able to accommodate one or more children. The salaries offered are also different from one department to another. “Currently, the majority of family assistants in charge of a child earn less than 1,000 euros per month,” observes Martine Orlak. “But a third of the departments already guarantee the minimum wage”, indicates the cabinet of Adrien Taquet. Finally, privacy can be completely upset: “We are responsible for children 24 hours a day and we embark our own family in the adventure, which is not always easy”, emphasizes Martine Orlak.
Towards an improvement?
Aware of the situation, the government has presented a bill on child protection, with a chapter devoted to the profession of family assistant. It was adopted at first reading in the Senate in December and will pass again to the Assembly in 2022. It provides in particular for an increase in the remuneration of family assistants, so that the latter have the guarantee of receiving at least the minimum wage from the first child admitted. . The text also provides for the possibility of continuing this profession after 67 years, and that the possibility of entrusting the child with a member of his family or a trusted third party is systematically examined before any decision of placement. What partly solve the shortage of professionals. But for the latter, it will be necessary to go even further to arouse vocations. “We do not yet have information on the amount of remuneration for the reception of a second and a third child”, emphasizes Martine Orlak.
A better knowledge of the trade by the general public also seems necessary. Example in 2020, where a bus had gone to meet the inhabitants of Seine-Saint-Denis to present the profession. The departments also have their responsibility in improving working conditions. They can thus develop specific training, offer reinforced support, or moments of respite where the child can go on vacation in a colony, for example …