Claire GANNE Maîtresse de conférences CREF (EA 1589), Université Paris Nanterre

1. Children, parents, migrants : Categorizations and subjective experiences of UnaccompaniedMinorsbecoming parents Claire GANNE Maîtresse de conférences CREF (EA 1589), Université Paris Nanterre UnaccompaniedMinors : Policy and Practice in European countries – Lille - 27/06/2019

2. A population that challenges administrative categorizations • Are they first of all Minors ? Children to beprotected ? Unaccompanied? Foreigners? Migrants?... (Jamet & Keravel, 2017) • Beingrecognized as an UM and benefitingfromchild protection: a process of triage and categorization (Bailleul & Senovilla, 2016) • The situation of unaccompaniedminorswho are parents are challengingthesecategorizations (Vervliet, De Mol, Broekaert, & Derluyn, 2014).

3. The Longitudinal Study on Access to Autonomy after Leaving Care (ELAP) (Frechon & Marquet, 2016) • Two quantitative waves (2013 and 2015) withyoung people in care, aged 17 to 20 in 2013, in 7 French départements (W1: 1,622 respondents / W2: 756 respondents) • Two qualitative waves (2016 and 2018) with 110 of these young adults, after leaving care. • A sharp reduction in young people receiving support over time: protection may be extended beyond the age of 18 years through a Young Adult Support contract, up to the age of 21 years maximum, but not all young people receive this support.

4. Young people who have become parents during or after placement

5. Two modes of integration • Access to youngadultwelfare support depends on conjugal and parental status: - 7% of young people living alonehad no period of youngadultwelfare support - 25% of young people living with a partnerwithoutchildrenhad no period of youngadultwelfare support - 40% of young people living with a partner and withchildrenhad no period of youngadultwelfare support

6. The 6 UM or ex-UM parents met (out of 13 parents) • All the young people interviewed come fromdifferentSub-SaharanAfrican countries (Gambia, IvoryCoast, Mali, Congo, Angola). • 2 young people, whoarrived in France at the age of 15, (1 man, 1 woman) alreadyhadchildren in their country of origin • 4 young people (3 women and 1 man) became parents in the process of beingcared for (duringtheirminority or a Young Adult Support Contract). • Both men have theirchildren in their country of origin. The 4 women have at least some of theirchildren living withthem, withconsequences for professionalintegration.

7. To be a child in need of protection or a wife and mother? « We have bigproblems... myhusband, hehadbigproblemswith the Child Protection Services becausetheysaid, I was a minor, it's not possible to getmarried. I said, "We've been marriedsinceAfrica. » « I gave birth in the hospital. I stayed in the hospital for a month. Beforewehad no paper, wehad no house, wehadnothingat all. Neithermyhusbandnor I. (...) Then a lady came. Shesaid, "Now..." Shewanted to take me with the children. Not myhusband. Wesaid, "Why? Wedidn't do anythingwrong, why?" Shesaid, "No, becausethat's the wayitis." Because I wastoounderagewith the twotwins, twochildren, shewillsend me to foster care and not myhusband. Myhusband, hesaid no, because I justarrived... The daystheytook me there, I don'tspeak French at all. They'retalking to myhusband. » (Young womanborn in Gambia, migration at the age of 17)

8. Minorsalreadysocialized as mothers « At first therewerechildcareworkersworkingat the centre. So if therewas a problem, theywould tell me what to do. So theywerethere, theyassistedbecausewe'reyoungminors. It wasbecause of that, actually. So I had the basics because I alreadytook care of mylittlebrotherwhenhewasveryyoung, so I knew a little bit about whatitwaslike to be a mom...(...) Frankly, I didn't have anyproblem putting on the diaper or washingit or likeother girls in the center. At first I wasreallyindependentwithmy son because I alreadyhad the basics withmybrother. » (Young womanborn in Congo, unaccompanied migration at the age of 15)

9. Move frombeing a youngperson in need of support to being a motherwithherchild • The unexpectedarrival of a childputs training projects on hold « At first I wasashamed, I thoughtthey'dsay I don't care about mywork, mypapers » • Young to support / mother of a child: statutesthat are almostmutually exclusive « I wentfrom ASE to ADEMIE » (Young womanborn in Mali, unaccompanied migration at the age of 16)

10. On the side of young men.... • A familyproject in the community and family of origin « I had the courage to getmarriedbecausemymotherisgoing to be 60 or so. At home, our retirement is us, our sons. So she'snext to mymother, right nowshe'staking care of mymother. » (Young man born in Mali, unaccompanied migration at the age of 16) • Strengthens the involvement in a professionalintegrationproject in France

11. Paradoxicallogics of categorization of children / adults • During the minority : living as an adult / beingseen as a child • Duringyoungadultwelfare support : beingseen as a parent prevents the maintenance of integration support (thought of as part of the transition to adulthood)

12. Thankyou for your attention

13. References Bailleul, C., & Senovilla, D. (2016). Dans l’intérêt supérieur de qui? Enquête sur l’interprétation et l’application de l’article 3 de la Convention Internationale des Droits de l’Enfant dans les mesures prises à l’égard des mineurs isolés étrangers en France. Poitiers: Migrinter. Frechon, I., & Marquet, L. (2016). Comment les jeunes placés à l’âge de 17 ans préparent-ils leur avenir ? Document de travail. INED, (227). Jamet, L., & Keravel, E. (2017). Mineurs non accompagnés. Quels besoins et quelles réponses? La Documentation Française. Vervliet, M., De Mol, J., Broekaert, E., & Derluyn, I. (2014). ‘That I Live, that’sBecause of Her’: Intersectionality as Framework for UnaccompaniedRefugeeMothers. The British Journal of Social Work, 44(7), 2023‑2041.