VIDEO. In Orléans, UAPED welcomes children and adolescents who are victims of violence

Physical, psychological, sexual abuse or neglect… “Children and adolescents up to 18 years old, to whom something may have happened or who have seen things” are welcomed at the UAPED in Orléans, explains Marie-Laure Toulmé, nurse. “The interest of the UAPED is that there is a multidisciplinary team which works on both the medical and legal aspects to hear the child only once, in the same place and that we can actually have an evaluation of the situation to know if the child is in danger or at risk of danger” specifies Laetitia Saïl, social worker. When there is no UAPED, the child must first be interviewed in a gendarmerie or police station then see a doctor and a psychologist.

“In UAPEDs, the child will go to the hospital and it is the professionals who will come to him”

Within UAPED, work “two forensic pediatricians, three psychologist colleagues, assistants and two nurses who are the common thread on the unit” adds the social worker. As part of a judicial investigation, children must be interviewed. In such a context, Vincent Meslin, gendarme, explains that he always takes care not to pose “suggested questions” to children, “especially for little ones”: “The risk of saying: “Was it so and so who did such and such thing to you?” is that, either because he no longer remembers it, or because he has simply tired of talking to us, the child will answer us to please us”. The child being questioned could then respond: “Yes, it was such and such a person who did that.” “when in fact, these people did absolutely nothing” concludes the policeman.