Child’s well-being after leaving a center for infants and single mothers

1. Child’s well-being after leaving a center for infants and single mothers Claire Ganne, Attachée Temporaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche Centre de Recherche en Education et Formation Equipe Education familiale et interventions sociales auprès des familles Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense

2. « Centres maternels » • Special housing centers for single mothers with infants. • They can house a woman and her child from pregnancy until the child is three years old (no age limit for the mother). • Part of child protection services. • Families with educational difficulties which require the intervention of child protection officers.

3. Characteristics of accommodated families(Ganne & Bergonnier-Dupuy, 2011) • Young women, sometimes teenagers, with family difficulties. • Adults in great psychosocial difficulty (children in care, addictions, mental illness… ). • Migrant women often arrived recently in France.

4. Themes of researches about future of children in care (Fréchon & Dumaret, 2008) 1950 1970 1980 2000 Focus of negative variables (Mc Cord & Thurber, 1960) The question of the intergenerational reproduction of placement (Quinton & Rutter, 1984, Corbillon, Assailly & Duyme, 1989) Understanding pathways (Fréchon, 2003)

5. Theoretical framework • A study about the future of children from families who had lived in a “Centre Maternel” • Understanding “future” as a result (outcomes of the children) but also as a process (take into account the pathways) • The ecological framework of human development (Bronfenbrenner 1979).

6. Two phases of the research • First phase : observation of the ulterior trajectories of 200 families housed in a “Centre Maternel” until 2002 or 2003, to define post-centre maternel pathway typologies. (Ganne & Bergonnier-Dupuy, 2011). • Second phase : exploration of the outcomes of a more restricted sample of 33 children, about 7 years after their leaving the centres.  Aim of the second phase : to cross-referencethese outcomes with the trajectories observed since leaving.

7. The future as a result The six dimensions of global well-being of the child (Innocenti Research Centre, 2007). the material conditions of life health education relationships with family relationships with peers subjective well-being : perceived quality of life (PQOL)

8. Methodology - Filling-in of the AUQUEI questionnaire (Pictured Child’s Quality of Life Self Questionnaire) (Manificat & Dazord, 1997) with 33 children aged between 6 and 12, who had stayed in a “Centre Maternel” 6 or 7 years previously. • Correlation tests (Kruskall-Wallis test) between the perceived quality of life scores obtained with different variables : • family context, • type of residential trajectory, • type of child protection trajectory, • profile of the mother.

9. Link between PQOL and family context Various family contexts : • 5 children live with both their parents • 7 children live in foster homes • 13 children live with their single mother • 8 children live in a recomposed family Boxplot PQOL / Family context N=33 p=0.04701

10. Link between PQOL and residential trajectory • Various residential trajectories : • 14 children moved into stable housing immediately on leaving the “Centre Maternel” • 7 children experienced intermediate pathways, having moved house between 3 and 4 times in 7 years, • 5 children have lived in a sheltered housing with their mother for most of the time since leaving • The 7 children in foster families were often placed shortly after leaving the “Centre Maternel” • No significant correlation between PQOL and residential trajectory.

11. Link between PQOL and dominant child protection measures taken during the trajectory • 21 children did not experience any child protection measure • 6 were followed at home by child protection officer • 6 are the object of long juridical placements Boxplot PQOL / Child protection measures N=33 p=0.04471

12. Link between PQOL and profile of the mother • 13 children have young mothers (20 or younger) • 11 children have mothers who experienced great psychosocial difficulties • 9 children have adult migrant mothers. Boxplot PQOL / Profile of the mother N=33 p=0.007877.

13. Discussion • Interdependance of the familial structure, the trajectory of child protection measures and the profile of the mother. • The age of the mother and the presence of a partner seem to be protective factors. • Particular vigilence concerning children followed at home seems to be necessary.

14. Open questions • Signifiance of the high results of children placed in foster families : • Protective role played by the placement ? • Coping strategy ? • Social desirability bias ? • Signifiance of the weak results obtained by the children of adult migrant mothers : • Precarious life conditions ? • Discrepancy between the mother’s education plan and the life context of the children?

15. Thank you for your attention…

16. Appendix 1 – AUQUEI Questionnaire Manificat S, Dazord A. (Evaluation of the Child's Quality of Life: Validation of a Questionnaire and First Results) [In French] Evaluation de la qualité de vie de l'enfant : validation d'un questionnaire, premiers résultats. Expansion Scientifique Française 1997;45(3):106-114.

17. Appendix 2 – PQOL / Profile of the mother and family context