Étude sur le discours des intervenants de la protection de la jeunesse quant à leur pratique d’accompagnement d’enfants vivant des visites supervisées avec leur(s) parent(s)

Background: Supervised visits represent a complex practice for caseworkers who have to deal with the suffering of the child, the parents and the foster parents, as well as dealing with the challenges associated with the context of supervised visits and the broader conditions of practice in the child protection services. To date, studies have mainly focused on the subjective experience of parents, foster parents and children. They have identified certain limits in the services offered to young people and their families, as well as challenges in the work of those who accompany children in this context. On the other hand, we know little about the professional practice of caseworkers during supervised visits and the strategies they use to support children in that setting. Objective: The objective of this Master's thesis is to document, from their discourse, the professional practice of caseworkers who support children experiencing supervised visits with their parent(s) in the context of child protection services. More specifically, it aims to better understand how they prepare and support children at different moments of supervised visits, as well as explore what concrete actions are taken in order to achieve those tasks. The outcomes of using a tool designed to support children in foster care experiencing supervised visits with their parent(s) was also discussed. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 caseworkers from the CIUSSS CSSMTL. The interviews were subjected to a thematic analysis. Results: Results reveal that the practice of accompaniment of the child in the context of supervised visits is built from an interaction between different factors such as the nature of the support offered, the caseworker’s attitude and their understanding of the child's experience (in terms of general experience and needs). Overall, caseworkers reported using a diversified practice in order to respond to the particularities of the situations encountered and the needs identified in the children they support. The data analysis also brought out the theme of the place occupied by children in the youth protection system, in a context where practice tends to overshadow them. Elements related to the personal characteristics of the caseworkers and to the clinical and organizational aspects of the profession emerged from interviews.  Discussion: This research provides a better understanding of the professional practice of caseworkers who accompany children in their supervised visits with their parent(s). It offers food for thought in order to develop a professional practice and clinical tools that better meet the needs of young people in a way that makes sense for them. It also supports the relevance of taking more interest in the place of children in the youth protection services and in giving them a voice in future research. Keywords: professional practice, direct work with children, caseworkers discourse, supervised visits, child protection.

Keyphrases: Professional practice, Direct work with children, Caseworkers discourse, Supervised visits, Child protection