Background: The international literature has long established the importance of health issues presented by children entrusted to Child Protection and Welfare Service (Aide Sociale à l'Enfance -ASE, in France). This study examined the health of children entrusted to the ASE in Vendée (a French administrative region) in order to better understand and address their health needs.
Methods: A retrospective study of all children (623 out of 920) aged 0-18 years placed in foster care or an institution during 2019 was carried out. The data collection was based on the information in the medical form completed by the doctor during the annual health check.
Results: More than one quarter of the children had a written or spoken language disorder, 32% of children did not have a normal body mass index for their age, 10% of children suffered from enuresis, 4% from encopresis, and sleep disorders were observed in 29% of the study population. Furthermore, 51% of the children expressed psychological distress by internalizing or externalizing it, and 6% of children over 6 years of age had already run away or put themselves in danger.
Conclusion: The results of our study are congruent with the international literature and confirm that children and adolescents in out-of-home care (foster care, residential care) have significantly higher healthcare needs than their peers. The findings also suggest several areas for improving the healthcare of children and adolescents entrusted to the care of the child protection and welfare services.
Keywords: Children; Health; Placement; Welfare system.
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