The Île-de-France Regional Health Agency has just ordered the closure of four hospitalization units for children and adolescents in Val-de-Marne. At issue: unworthy confinement practices contrary to the rights of the child.
This is a radical and extremely rare decision in the world of health. The Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Île-de-France has just ordered the emergency closure of four hospitalization units for children and adolescents in Val-de-Marne (94). From February 27, 2026, no more children will be hospitalized on these sites. This abrupt closure is not linked to a lack of budget or staff, but to the mistreatment suffered by the children.
After several reports and an inspection in November 2025, the ARS discovered serious practices: children were locked alone in rooms or tied up (“restraint”) in an unjustified manner. Young people remained locked up even though their state of health no longer required it. Finally, good practices were not respected. The establishment used methods from another age, far from the current recommendations of the High Authority of Health which today favor appeasement and dialogue. On the internet, several opinions testify to these practices: “I was still faced with a nurse who told me that if I continued to cry, I would go to a completely white room 24 hours a day with nothing and no windows (…) They yell at you and then apart from doping you with medication they do nothing”, “I was there at 14 for 1 week traumatized for life. This place must be closed to prevent other children from suffering”, “We shoot patients (minors and without parental consent) with Tercian (antipsychotic), Risperdal or others in high doses“.
The suspension concerns services where children sleep on site (we are talking about full hospitalization) of the 4 units of the Fondation Vallée in Gentilly: Bourneville for adolescents aged 12-17, Dolto, sequential hospitalization for 4-12 year olds, Winnicott, scheduled hospitalization assessment for 6-12 year olds and the UETA, evaluation and treatment unit for adolescents (without actual activity because it is currently being retrained). The Vallée Foundation is an establishment specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Daytime consultations (day hospital) and traditional appointments continue to work because the problem was specifically in the management of children kept at night and for long periods. There are currently fewer than 20 young people hospitalized. To avoid disturbing them further, they take advantage of the school holidays to return home. During this time, doctors re-evaluate each case one by one. At the end of the vacation, they will be redirected to other care centers adapted to their needs, but where their safety and rights will be respected.
The ARS had already warned management on October 7, 2025, asking to stop these practices. However, as the Vallée Foundation was not able to guarantee that these confinement methods had ceased, the health authority decided to “cut contact” to protect the minors, the press release specifies. The establishment is therefore “put on notice”. This means that he has the obligation to completely review his organization. To one day reopen, it will have to prove that it has trained its staff in modern crisis methods and is able to precisely follow each isolation measure.
