Child protection system: Knowledge and role of the general practitioners in Ille-et-Vilaine

• Published in: Archives de pédiatrie : organe officiel de la Société française de pédiatrie Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 21 - 26
• Main Authors: Balençon, M, Arrieta, A, You, C A, Brun, J-F, Federico-Desgranges, M, Roussey, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Child; Child Abuse - legislation & jurisprudence; Child Protective Services - legislation & jurisprudence; Child Welfare - legislation & jurisprudence; Clinical Competence; Female; France; General Practitioners; Humans; Male; Mandatory Reporting; Middle Aged; Physician's Role; Prospective Studies
• ISSN: 1769-664X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arcped.2015.09.031

On 5 March 2007 the law concerning the child protection system was reformed. Since this date, child protection services are responsible for child abuse and neglect. Child protection services are now attempting to determine the rightful place for parents. Asking for child protection is now easier for the general practitioner (GP), who can submit a "preoccupying information (PI)" form. The aim of this study was to review GPs' knowledge on this issue 6 years after the passage of this new law. Prospective postal investigation between 04/01/2013 and 06/01/2013. A total of 298 (113 women) of the 899 GPs of the Ille-et-Vilaine area in Brittany answered a few questions about their activity and their knowledge on child abuse and neglect. The sample's mean age, sex, and practice was representative of the GPs in this area. Only 25.5% of the GPs had any knowledge of this new law. The term "preoccupying information" was unfamiliar to 70.1% of the GPs and what to do with the PI was unknown to 77.2%. The GPs did not know which type of letter to send nor where to send it between legal child protection and social protection services. Only 5% of the GPs had child protection training on PI. The main problem informing the child protection services was the lack of training. Consequently, 91.9% of the GPs would like training. The GPs in the Ille-et-Vilaine area in Brittany are unfamiliar with the child protection updates and need special training.