More than 300,000 young people are supported by the Child Welfare Service (ASE) in France. These young people face complex family situations and encounter numerous difficulties in their social lives and in building their professional futures. 70% of children in care leave ASE without a qualification and struggle to find employment. 49% of them were unemployed three years after leaving the education system, and a quarter of homeless people have been through ASE. 

Since 2020, AMADE and the Break Poverty Foundation have been working in several departments in the PACA region to prevent school dropouts and reduce the digital divide among vulnerable young people, particularly those in the care of the ASE. 

Over the past five years, lasting partnerships between departments, associations and ASE structures have been established and continue to thrive. Several departments in the PACA region have formed partnerships with mentoring associations, enabling a growing number of young people to benefit from personalised support and access to digital equipment: 91 young people in 2021-2022, 132 in 2022-2023, and more than 200 young people between December 2023 and December 2024. 

Furthermore, in 2023, more than 60 departments were supported and equipped to develop mentoring programmes for young people in care. 

Despite promising results, which confirmed the relevance and impact of the scheme on young people in care, to date only 1% of them benefit from mentoring support. The main reason for this low rate remains the lack of mobilisation by departments to implement a genuine public policy by committing financially to this scheme.

Therefore, in line with these actions, Break Poverty aims to significantly accelerate the development of mentoring for young people in care between 2025 and 2028 by removing the funding barrier. The ASE Mentoring Alliance is based on a unique partnership between private actors, mentoring associations and local authorities to triple the mentoring opportunities available to these young people in France.