Promoting the health of children by supporting parenting skills: the action of France Public Health

Since its creation in May 2016, France Public Health has been significantly involved in promoting health in the field of perinatality, infancy and childhood. Our approach is based on the current state of knowledge about the fundamental needs of children, which highlights the meta-need to establish stable emotional relationships with an adult who pays attention to the child. The unit currently supports two experimental interventions for supporting parenthood, drawing in particular on the development of psychosocial skills: panjo (Promotion of the Health and Attachment of Infants and of their Young Parents: a tool for backing up the services of pmi (Maternal and Infantile Protection) and psfp (Supportive Programme for Families and Parenthood). In addition, the agency is also involved in an approach intended to place value and capitalize on these interventions deemed to be promising or convincing. It is indispensable to help bring about a dialogue between these two currents, in particular by questioning our evaluative practices which should not be seen as being in opposition but rather in synergy.