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Your child is now being cared for a reception centre or in a foster family. This centre/foster family is part of the Child and Family Care Network. Child Support, also known as AEF (by its French initials), comprises a range of services to help children and their families in psychological and social distress.
As your child is placed in an EFA facility, you may be wondering what will happen to your child and to you as parents. It all depends on whether your child's placement is voluntary or judicial.
Foster care is said to be voluntary if it is done at the request or with the agreement of the parents. The parents retain the possibility of organizing, in consultation with the child welfare services, the course of the reception and also the return of the child to the family.
The fostering is said to be judicial when it is decided by the youth judge or the public prosecutor. The judge may entrust the child to a foster family or to an establishment serving the AEF.
Depending about the child and the family, your child can be placed in different institutions:
Emergency admission (AUSC/FADEP):
This is a first reception that takes place in a center specialized in urgent reception. During the child's stay, an assessment is carried out with a view to orientation towards a foster family, a reception center or a return to the family.
The foster family:
The foster family is a family approved by the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth. It provides a family environment for children without replacing the parents of the family of origin.
Foster care centre:
It offers a collective living environment, in small units of 6 to 10 children, of identical or diversified ages, mixed or not. A team of professionals is responsible for accompanying the children in all aspects of their daily lives (schooling, leisure, health).
A "foster care agreement" is signed with the parents at the beginning of their stay. This agreement specifies the benefits that the child will receive during their stay and the objectives for their daily care.
In most cases, children are placed in a foster care centre in Luxembourg. However, the child can also be placed in an institution abroad if adequate follow-up in Luxembourg cannot be guaranteed considering the specific needs of the child.
Each foster care centre provides parents with the internal rules of the institution and the contact details of the head of the department and the member of the team responsible for your child.
Certain acts related to the daily life of your child are decided by the institution or the foster family. Such decisions are always made in the interest of your child. Professionals are committed to informing you about and explaining the various measures taken and, whenever possible, involving you in the decisions.
Decisions that concern you more concretely:
You are asked, as far as possible, to give your agreement on all (non-routine) acts of parental authority: authorization to operate, medical care, school orientation, apprenticeship contract...
Together with the professionals who accompany your children, you schedule visits with your children as well as weekend returns to your family. If your child is to be returned to your family for good, it must be decided by the Youth Court.
You will be able to provide your opinion on the direction to take if your child needs to change their place of foster care.
You are asked to sign your child's intervention project, which is established by the professionals to put in place the appropriate supports for your child and your family.
This list is not exhaustive but is meant to give you a global overview of the decisions you can continue to make as parents. If you need additional information, do not hesitate to contact the person in charge of your child at the place of foster care.
Teams at your disposition:
At the level of the institution and the foster families:
Throughout your child's foster care process, the professionals of the institution or the professionals in charge of monitoring the foster family will keep in touch with you if you wish. Do not hesitate to contact them if you have questions about your child or your family situation.
At the level of the National Office for Children:
ONE is in charge of providing support to families in psycho-social distress and also of taking care of children who are placed by their parents or by order of the youth court. The different support measures are mainly financed by the ONE. Parents may be asked to contribute to the costs.
If you have questions regarding your child's care or if you need support in your family life, you can contact the ONE. A children's support professional will be at your service to help you.
Then, you have the possibility to contact the ONE, which can support you in your situation, whether the placement is voluntary or judicial. An employee of the ONE in charge of the child's file can guide you and explain the placement process. In addition, the ONE can appoint an Intervention Project Coordinator (IPC) whose mission is to personally support you in your efforts, to inform you about the progress of the foster care of your child and to obtain your agreement on decisions about your child for special acts.
If it is a decision of the juvenile court or the public prosecutor's office (provisional custody measure or judgment), you as the family of origin can also initiate legal proceedings:
In accordance with Article 7 of the amended law of 16 December, 2008 on child and family care, the child capable of discernment and his parents can consult the file filed with the ONE, in particular, the administrative and social and educational documents archived in their personal file.
The applicant does not need to justify an "interest to act" and is not obliged to justify their request. The written request must specify the following: surname (at birth), first name, place of birth and contact details of the applicant.
It must be sent to:
Office national de l’enfance
Michèle Bressanutti
Director
33, Rives de Clausen
L-2165 Luxembourg
E-mail: one@one.etat.lu
Fax: (+352) 24 77 36 - 99
An appointment will be offered by ONE. An ONE professional will be at the service of the applicant to assist them in the reading of the file. The applicant must bring their identity card to the interview.
33, Rives de Clausen
For all correspondence, please use the address below
postal address:
L-2926 Luxembourg
If you have any questions or need further information, you can contact us at
Media contact:
Myriam Bamberg
Tel: (+352) 247-85252
Email: press@men.lu