Abstract EN:

In recent years we have observed some shift toward viewing children as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity. In this point, the preventive policy for street children is an interesting topic of sociological research. Street children aren’t well known in France and the public authorities don’t recognise this phenomenon as a public issue. Comparing the situation in Poland and in France is interesting and bring new perspectives. Our thesis aims to understand this public policy and especially how children’s participation can change its application.This thesis explores the hypothesis that preventive policy for street children are a part of public policies that focus on the child and that the normative references are ambivalent. The concept of child’s participation also reveals the ambivalent normative references. The idea of child’s participation can be a purpose or a mean. The implementation of these concepts causes several normative decompositions.Our research allows to understand that the meaning given to street children’s participation does not only varies between regions, but is also different at the official orientation level given to the social policy, the policy-makers discourse, and the forms of local policy. The family and collective vision also has an impact on the social policy in France and results in few actions taking into account the participation of children in Ile-de-France. On the other hand, in Mazovia, the importance of liberal and individualistic ideology makes it possible to legitimize policy guidelines that support the participation of children.