Transcultural mediation in a CMPP (medico- psycho-pedagogical institution): from realities in the field to the initiation of an organisation.

The CMPP unit in Metz (eastern France) is located in a priority zone in the city, and it takes in a considerable migrant population who combine precarious situations, vulnerability and difficulties in accessing care, so that the accompaniment of the children is complicated, whether in the spheres of health, schooling or social well-being. We present a system of transcultural mediation that we have set up, describing its objectives and its perspectives. The project arose from a clinical and institutional review, taking account of the difficulties linked to the cultural gap between the families and the staff. We discuss the relevance of this tool and its applications in the field, and also the ups and downs of its deployment and the difficulty in obtaining specific, sustainable means for the care of these children and families who have come from afar.