The DDASS, Departmental Directorates of Sanitary and Social Affairs, were a state service in charge of children withdrawn from their parents for various reasons: domestic violence or violence towards the child, mistreatment, parental health problems, in danger of the life of the child… When is it of their evolution.

The appearance of this acronym DDASS appears when the name of the Departmental Directorates of Health and Social Action was changed by the decree of April 22, 1977, which then became the Departmental Directorates of Health and Social Affairs.

The previous decree of 1964 brought together the various departmental health services, with the exception of the departmental health inspector. The latter was attached to the DDASS by the decree of April 22, 1977.

Each DDASS had for objective in each department:

• supervision and control of public and private establishments, as well as health and social establishments under the jurisdiction of the State;
• health and social prevention actions;
• social assistance falling under the jurisdiction of the State;
• social action aimed at all categories of the population and integration and social development policies.

In 1986, following a new decree, the DDASS, together with the DRASS, ensure the educational, administrative and financial control of paramedical schools.

On April 1, 2010, within the framework of the reorganization of the territorial administration of the State (RéATE), the DDASS disappeared.

Since the 1^er January 2010, their attributions concerning social action were transferred, according to the departments, to the Directions of Social Cohesion and Protection of Populationsor to Directions of Social Cohesion.

Since their creation in April 2010, health and social security issues have been entrusted to the new ARegional Health Agencies (ARS).

The skills of the DDASS related to disability have been transferred to the MDPH, the Departmental House of Handicapped Persons.

The maternal and child protection services (PMI) providing the young child center with the ASE, Social Assistance to Childhood.

The children of the DDASS

An expression has become common in popular parlance “child of DDASS”. This mission, currently taken over by ASE, Aide Sociale à l’Enfance, was to protect child victims. children of violence, in danger in their own home, abandoned, or with deceased parents and no relatives to adopt them.

According to numerous testimonies of children who have become adults, the conditions in which they were received were in no way adapted to their situations. Dorms without any privacy, shared showers, untrained staff, overwhelmed educators. Violence and sexual abuse were their daily life. Stigmatized at school, they had, without psychological help, to build themselves up as best they could and many then plunged into drugs and alcohol to endure this life of misery. Misery that does not leave them since some end up homeless.

Whether it was when they were called DDASS or now ASE, the Member of Parliament Perrine Goulet, who herself followed this path, challenge public opinion, because “in twenty years, nothing has changed”.

The missions entrusted to these services are however clear:

• provide material, educational and psychological support to children and their families;
• take collective action to prevent marginalization;
• take urgent action to protect children at risk;
• provide for all the needs of the children entrusted to the ASE.

The reception establishments are diverse depending on the age of the children and their occasional or long-term presence: nursery, children’s homes, MECS (Homes for Children with Social Character), previously called orphanages, children’s villages, socio-educational family placement centers (CPFSE), and also foster families.

Devices which, according to the testimonies of children and professionals, are still sorely lacking in resources, trained personnel and equipment. Some children would have even been accommodated in hotel rooms, for lack of space.

At the age of 18, everything stops. And this is also a fight led by deputies and associations during the national meetings on child protection. Having come of age, young people can be left to their own devices overnight, without housing, without resources.

Sleeping under bridges, in abandoned cars or in boxes, young people try to survive. Marginalization leading to bad meetings, many have a criminal record which then slows them down to find a job. An infernal gear from an early age.

Thanks to the voices that are rising, the Macron government announced on February 5, 2021, financial assistance of 500 € monthly, allocated to young people over 18 years leaving ASE, without employment or training. The objective is to allow them to have a home, to meet basic needs, to obtain a driving license, etc.