Child protection and continuity breaking: challenges and paradoxes for the self-construction in a cross-border context

ABSTRACT This article addresses the issue of ruptures in cross-border contexts in Child Welfare Systems, and their impact on family relationships and organisation. To illustrate some of the challenges and paradoxes, our case study focuses on the situation of a mother and her 10 year old son. The pair received social care as part of a European research programme (EUR&QUA), the goal of which is to create a cross-border zone for child welfare. In such zones, many families receiving social support frequently face different legislative, social and health systems once they move from one country to the other, despite the geographical proximity. This discrepancy in systems complicates continuity in care and may also influence the subjective experience of each family member. It also raises the question of harmonising social work practices beyond border, the aim being to offer better support to vulnerable families with traumatic experiences.