What is Home Educational Assistance (HEA) for families in difficulty?

Home-based educational assistance may be provided to:

• Mother, father who encounters difficulties in their relationship with their child(ren)
• Person who has the care of a child
• Pregnant woman facing medical or social and financial difficulties and whose health or that of her child requires it
• Emancipated minor or adult under 21 years of age facing social difficulties.

Home-based educational assistance is intended to support parents in the exercise of their parental responsibilities when difficulties may jeopardize the health, safety, maintenance, education or development of their child.

Its objectives include:

• support parents in their educational role,
• promote the child's retention in his or her family environment where possible,
• prevent the worsening of difficulties encountered by the family.

The aid is provided upon request or with the consent of the persons concerned.

To benefit from it, you must contact the child welfare service (Ase) of your department.

You must write a letter explaining your needs and the difficulties you are having with your child.

You can attach to your application any document that provides a better understanding of your situation if you think it is useful (for example, a medical certificate or a document prepared by a social worker).

To request it, you can also get closer to the social worker of the school, the leisure center, an information point of the departmental council or in town hall.

After receiving your application, the Children's Social Welfare Service (Ase) assesses your situation and that of your child to identify your needs.

If home-based educational assistance is implemented, the service defines with you the objectives of the support, the actions that will be carried out and the duration of the measure.

Support is built with the family. It is adapted to the child's needs and may change during the measurement if the situation of the child or his/her parents changes.

Professionals intervene at a defined pace with you and look for solutions adapted to the difficulties encountered.

The professionals involved are chosen according to the needs of the child and his family. They work with parents to support them in the exercise of their parental responsibilities.

Depending on the situation, several professionals may intervene:

• Specialized educators : working directly with families to meet the educational needs of children and improve family dynamics.
• Social assistants :: they help families to access their social rights and overcome material or administrative difficulties.
• Psychologists : they intervene to analyse the emotional and psychological needs of children and parents.
• Family and Social Intervention Technician (FSIT): it accompanies the family in the organization of daily life when educational or social difficulties justify it.
• Other partners : depending on needs, other professionals (doctors, teachers, associations) can be mobilized.

The actions that can be implemented (together or separately), as part of the home help, are as follows:

• Help from a social and family intervention technician (TISF), who must accompany the family experiencing educational and social difficulties
• Help from a housekeeper
• Support in social and family economy (AESF). This is done by a professional trained in the social and family economy to understand, with the family, the nature of the financial difficulties encountered. It allows to organize the management of the budget.
• Payment of exceptional financial aid or monthly allowances, either on a final basis or subject to repayment
• Intervention of an educational action service (material and educational support for the family). It is intended for parents facing significant difficulties (situations of educational deficiency, relational difficulties, living conditions compromising the health of the child...).)

It is the Ase sector manager who sets the practical conditions for care.

The costs of intervention by a social and family intervention technician (TISF) or a household helper are, at the request of the beneficiary, covered (totally or partially) by the Ase service.

However, these costs must not be covered by a social security organization or other service.

The aid is set up for a maximum of 1 year. But it can be renewed if necessary.

Its duration depends on the needs of the family. It is therefore adapted accordingly and can be proposed for several consecutive years.

The periodicity of visits is determined with the service that sets up the support.

Home-based educational assistance ends when the objectives set have been achieved or when the situation of the child and his or her family no longer justifies this support.

It may also end at the request of the persons concerned, since it is implemented with their consent.

At the end of the measure, the child welfare service (Ase) may propose renewal if the family situation so requires.

Educational assistance at home is provided with the consent of the persons concerned.

If you do not accept this measure or if you wish to terminate it, you can inform the Child Welfare Service (Ase).

The service can exchange with you to reassess your situation and the modalities of support.

However, if the service considers that the health, safety, morality or development of your child remains in danger or is likely to be in danger, it can refer the matter to the public prosecutor.

The children's judge may then decide, if the conditions laid down by law are met, to order an educational assistance measure, including open educational assistance (AEMO) or any other protective measure appropriate to the child's situation.