New Presidency of the Scientific Council of the National Observatory for Child Protection

Blandine Mallevaey, Professor of rivate law and criminal sciences at the Faculty of Law (FLD) of the Université Catholique de Lille, is one of those profiles whose commitment to their field of interest always pushes them to widen the field of possibilities and to reinvent themselves through new missions.

Here is the interview of the new President of the Scientific Council of the National Observatory for Child Protection.

What is the context of this appointment ? comment le choix a-t-il été effectué ? How was the selection made?

« I have been a member of the ONPE’s Scientific Council since September 2022 (I had already been a member of the ODPE’s (Departmental Observatory for Child Protection) Scientific Council for a year in the department of northern France). In March 2023, the mandate of the former President of the Scientific Council of the ONPE came to an end; I was then proposed to run for her successor. I was unanimously elected to chair the Scientific Council on 7 March. »

What is the role of the Scientific Council of the National Observatory for Child Protection?

« Before that, a few words on the role of the ONPE: the ONPE’s objective is to improve knowledge of children at risk and child protection in order to better prevent these situations and deal with them. Its mission is therefore to improve knowledge of issues relating to the endangerment and protection of minors through the identification and development of data, studies and research; to identify, analyse and disseminate prevention and intervention practices in child protection; and to support child protection actors. For example, the latest publications and research supported by the ONPE include a report on the protection of children and adolescents from prostitution, a reference sheet on child victims of domestic violence, a literature review on the schooling of children in child protection care, a report to government and parliament on the health of protected children, etc.

The ONPE’s Scientific Council is a body of expertise, advice and proposals that examines, evaluates and monitors research projects financed by the ONPE. It is composed of 10 representatives of organisations commissioning research in the field of child protection and 10 researchers recognised for their skills in child protection.»

What will be your main tasks in this new prestigious and challenging position?

« The president of the ONPE’s Scientific Council leads and coordinates the activity of its members, in close contact with the ONPE’s management. He or she may be heard by public decision-makers to convey the voice of the ONPE’s Scientific Council in the context of any reflection on the evolution of laws and regulations applicable in the field of child and family law.»

Does the work of the Scientific Council of the National Observatory for Child Protection influence future laws that may be passed on child law and protection?

« This is indeed the goal! For example, the former president of the ONPE’s Scientific Council was heard on the subject of the bill adopted by the National Assembly on 6 March, which aims to guarantee respect for children’s image rights. The research supported by the ONPE, and evaluated by its Scientific Council, makes recommendations and operational recommendations, many of which are addressed to the government and parliament. Taking them into account is a guarantee that the rights and best interests of the child are truly at the heart of the concerns. »

How is this new role going to impact the Research Center of the Faculty of Law of the Université Catholique de Lille, the C3RD, one of the pillars of which is the “Vulnerabilities of people” (a key issue in child protection)

« “I am not going to dwell on all the reasons why a child is a particularly vulnerable being, as this is obvious. The C3RD’s “Vulnerabilities” axis was initially built around children’s vulnerabilities and the work carried out by its members within the Chair for Children’s Rights and Best Interests (which is the “ancestor” of the Chair for Children and Families). My presence on the ONPE’s Scientific Council allows me to promote the work carried out for a long time by C3RD researchers on vulnerabilities. For example, Romain Laulier, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Master’s degree in Legal and Judicial Professions, and I have edited a book that will be published very soon, entitled Vulnerabilities and Access to the Judge, to which many C3RD researchers have contributed. Nadia Beddiar, Professor, wrote an article on access to the criminal court for delinquent minors; Léa Jardin, Doctor and member of the Childhood and Families Chair, wrote an article on access to the court for unaccompanied minors; and I wrote an article on access to the family court for children. Count on me to make these contributions known and to disseminate our recommendations within the ONPE’s Scientific Council! I hope that our public decision-makers will listen to them… »

The Childhood and Families Chair, which you head, has lately welcomed new PhD Assistants this year; how can this new appointment help their research work?

« The Childhood and Families Chair has been very active over the past year, with the arrival of two new doctoral assistants (Florian Watier, who is preparing a thesis on “Relations between children and parents in the face of incarceration”, and Anastasia Conroux, who is working on “The legal understanding of control relationships”) and the defence of Léa Jardin’s thesis on “The protection of unaccompanied minors in France”, who is working on “L’appréhension juridique des relations d’emprise”) and the defence of Léa Jardin’s thesis on “La protection des mineurs non accompagnés en France” (The protection of unaccompanied minors in France), as well as another defence planned for June (Marion Rousseaux’s thesis on “The instrumentalisation of the minor child by his parents“) ».

What all their work has in common is that child protection is always at the heart of their concerns. My presence on the ONPE’s Scientific Council ensures that all the members of the Childhood and Families Chair – including myself – are at the forefront of current events in all the disciplines that interest their respective research subjects, and not only in law. As I myself have the opportunity to exchange views with doctors, child psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, researchers in education sciences, etc., all specialists in child protection, I can then direct our doctoral students to these researchers who can provide them with valuable insights in the context of their research.

There is no doubt that this new position, beyond making the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Lille shine, will open new horizons in the field of child protection. It will be an opportunity to perfect and deepen the programmes of his training and to mark his commitment to the current problems of our society. Once again, congratulations to Blandine Mallevaey for this wonderful appointment!