Caen Normandy University Hospital takes action against violence against children

At Caen Normandy University Hospital, since the first half of 2023, children and adolescents in danger or suspected of being in danger have been welcomed by a multi-professional team within the Pediatric Reception Unit for Children in Danger ( UAPED ). In collaboration with the structures and professionals present in the territory, engaged in this theme, this unit provides comprehensive, integrated, protected and graduated care for minors for whom a dangerous situation is suspected or retained.

Close collaboration with local stakeholders

UAPED responds to the interministerial plan to combat violence against children (2020-2022) and is part of close collaboration between the actors involved in the territory and the professionals of the Caen Normandie University Hospital already involved. In close coordination with the Calvados Departmental Council and Justice , UAPED listens to all intra- and extra-hospital health professionals who, in the context of their practice, suspect a dangerous situation in a child or a teenager.

The Caen Normandy University Hospital has also been designated by the Normandy Regional Health Agency as a “Regional Pediatric Referral Team for Children in Danger” ( EPRRED ).
This new regional system aims to offer recourse and expertise missions for minors, specialized resources for all care stakeholders in the region, awareness-raising and training actions, prevention, identification and support to be integrated into professional practices, research and teaching missions. This team's mission is to work in a spirit of territorial coherence.

Organization of half-day training

At the beginning of November, the establishment and the Caen Normandy University also offered a half-day of training led by UAPED and EPRRED and the hospital services concerned, foremost among which are pediatrics , forensic medicine and child psychiatry . This highlight, hosted in collaboration with the services of the Calvados departmental council and the prosecutor's office of the Caen judicial court, is a first step towards improving the identification of dangerous situations and care for all health stakeholders in the region.

Situations involving children and adolescents in danger concern more than 10% of minors. The situations encountered are physical, sexual, psychological violence, neglect, domestic violence and also prostitution situations.

Early identification of minors in danger and interprofessional and interinstitutional work are valuable levers for dealing with these situations, which are sometimes sources of denial for professionals.
Thanks to the action of each of the stakeholders, these children and adolescents will be able to have better access to health pathways. By addressing the clinical, psychological, social and legal aspects of children in danger, this half-day of training, which brought together more than 250 health professionals, made it possible to work with local stakeholders to implement adapted and graduated health care for minors in danger.

The Caen Normandy University Hospital hosted the Educadroit FEH reception hall .