[Taking care of an unaccompanied minor's body at the Maison des adolescents]

Abstract

The care of unaccompanied young exiles in public health care facilities for adolescents often requires teams to adapt their capacities for institutional containment. We describe the case of a 16 year old female migrant adolescent, whose follow-up occurred at the Maison des adolescents of the Cochin Hospital, with several healthcare workers involved. The healthcare team had to reflect on the meaning of her somatic symptoms and why the referring adults were so worried (such as fear of death). We describe how we articulated somatic and psychological care for this adolescent girl living in a precarious situation.

Keywords: adolescence; aide sociale à l’enfance; care pathway; child welfare; interdisciplinary care; mineur non accompagné; parcours de soins; prise en charge interdisciplinaire; unaccompanied minors.