Psychosocial support for children

National Office for Children (ONE)

A child or young adult experiencing difficulties may be offered child and family support from the National Office for Children (Office national de l’enfance - ONE). This psychosocial support can take various forms.

It may involve institutional support or family support, by day and/or overnight or outpatient care (psychological, special education, social or educational support) for the child, the young adult or their family.

Who is it for?

Support can be requested by the child or young adult themselves, or by a family member or friend, or by professionals (social worker, school, etc.).

Any child or young adult in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg up to the age of 27 is eligible for help, if they:

• are experiencing difficulties with their physical, mental, psychological or social development; or
• are in physical and/or moral danger; or
• are at risk of social exclusion.

How does it work?

The request for help or support is made by completing a form and sending it by post or email to ONE.

This form is a prerequisite for the introduction of specific support. The request establishes the first contact between ONE and the applicant/beneficiary of the support.

The applicant will then be contacted as quickly as possible in order to help them in the most appropriate way given their situation. They may be directed to the relevant service providers or invited to a personal interview at ONE.

The various support measures are financed by ONE. A contribution to the cost may be requested from those involved.

Help and support offered by ONE

Depending on the situation the child or young adult finds themselves in, different measures can be offered. These include:

• social and educational services, looking after children and young adults faced with social and family problems;
• educational tutoring, to support children and young adults with special educational needs and encourage personal independence and social, school and family integration;
• psychotherapy services, in the form of personal support and in collaboration with child psychiatrists and psychotherapists;
• urgent intervention in acute psychosocial crisis situations. Children or young adults are taken in for a limited period of 3 months, in a structured and structuring living environment, when it is temporarily recommended that they don't stay in the family home;
• care for children under the age of 3 whose parents are temporarily unable to look after them and take care of their educational and basic needs;
• supervised housing for young people between the ages of 16 and 27 who are capable of organising their daily lives in partial independence;
• social and educational care with a host family or family placement, involving the permanent or temporary care, during the day and/or overnight, of children and young adults;
• social and educational day care for children or young adults in an educational tutoring or psychotherapy setting, aimed at providing an education and appropriate care, as well as schooling and vocational training. This service is for children and young adults experiencing major psychological difficulties and for whom the intensity of the care and treatments calls for a day centre placement;
• social and family support in the family home, helping families to meet the basic needs of children (food, clothing, accommodation, etc.), for everyday care and domestic tasks, in special situations (e.g. hospitalisation of one parent);
• psychological, social or educational support in the family unit, helping families with the educational and interpersonal needs of children, for day-to-day organisation and administrative formalities, as well as support for young people in their day-to-day organisation and in their social integration;
• guidance, coordination and assessment of the measures developed (CPI), directing all of the children or young adults in the same family unit to the most relevant service providers to resolve the family's difficulties;
• socio-professional integration, enabling young people to develop their socio-professional skills in preparation for their professional orientation and their integration into the world of work and society.