A child is considered to be in danger if the following aspects of his or her life are seriously compromised or at risk of being so:

• Health or physical development
• Security
• Morality
• Education or intellectual development
• Emotional or social development.

Any person who witnesses or suspects a child in danger or at risk of being in danger duty report the facts. It may be a private individual (parent, neighbor, etc.) or a professional (social worker, doctor, etc.).

The child may also report himself or herself or another child he or she knows.

119

If you are a victim or if you are aware of a child abuse situation, you should call 119.

Department Services or Information Collection Cell of Concern (CRIP)

It is also possible to contact the services of the department: child welfare (ASE) or the unit for gathering information of concern (Crip).

It is possible to send a letter directly to public prosecutor.

Exceptionally, the children's judge can intervene of its own accord (it is said that it shall take it into its own motion). In practice, the judge takes action ex officio when he has received an alert from a person other than the child victim, his parents, the persons responsible for him (guardian, for example) or the public prosecutor.

Voluntarily alerting the authorities to facts that are known to be inaccurate amounts to slander. This offense is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of €45,000.

Failure to report a known case of ill-treatment can be punished by 3 years in prison and €45,000 of fine.

Once a report has been made, the competent services (social services, child protection, police) intervene to examine the situation of the child and to evaluate the measures to be taken. These vary according to the seriousness of the reported events.

As such, the following are the main steps put in place following a report:

1. Social survey: Professionals visit the child and family to understand the nature of the hazard and determine whether it is immediate or not. The purpose of the assessment is to collect information on the child’s living conditions and to assess the child’s protection needs.
2. Setting up protective measures: If the investigation confirms that the child is in danger, several actions can be taken.
   Where the danger is not immediate, educational services accompany the family to improve the situation.
   If the child is in serious danger, they may be temporarily entrusted to another family member, to a host family, or a specialized establishment. This decision shall be taken by the children's judge. In case of serious violenceOn or after these occasions, legal proceedings are initiated against the perpetrator (parents or third parties).
   Throughout this procedure, the child and his or her family can benefit from support. The child may receive counseling to help them overcome trauma from abuse. Parents may also benefit from educational or psychologic support to improve the child's living conditions and prevent recurrence. Even if the child is not placed, educators are designated to follow the family regularly and ensure that the child's needs are met.
3. The child and the persons concerned (parents, family, third party who made the report) are informed of the decisions taken by the social services or the judge of the children. They are regularly informed of the measures applied and their duration.
4. If children remain in their family environment, periodic visits and assessments are done to monitor the situation. These reassessments help ensure that the child is no longer in danger and that the family adheres to recommendations made by services.