maison des enfants

What maison des enfants does

Maison des Enfants operates as a brand/service name within Association Traits d'Union, a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 1922 and recognized as a public utility association (association d'utilité publique) since 1934. The organization is headquartered in Trélon, France, and operates in the Hauts-de-France region with approximately 101 employees. It delivers a coordinated portfolio of social and medico-social services organized into four operational poles: Pôle Enfance et Famille (child protection and family support including MECS streams for early childhood, childhood, pré-adolescence, adolescence, siblings, and parenting, plus InterMED mediation and SESSAD home-based specialized care), Pôle Médico-Social Enfance (IME for children/adolescents aged 4–20 with intellectual disabilities, IMPro vocational institute, and EMAS/PAS educational support), Pôle Médico-Social Adulte (ESAT sheltered employment and Dispositif Habitat supported housing), and Pôle Formation (training). Integrated Unités d'Enseignement (educational units) operate within the IME, IMPro, and MECS facilities.

The business model is non-commercial: services are funded through French government subsidies (departmental councils for child welfare, ARS for medico-social), social security contributions, and tax-advantaged donations, rather than direct customer payment. Go-to-market occurs via institutional referrals through social services and child welfare authorities at the regional level. The organization operates an integrated care pathway spanning from early childhood through adulthood, designed for children/adolescents in family difficulty and individuals with disabilities. Notable recent developments include the January 26, 2026 opening of the Maison des Tout-Petits facility at 33 rue Caroly Mary in Hautmont — a specialized early-childhood care unit developed over nearly three years — and the pilot of "psychoboxe," an innovative psychological support approach for children who refuse traditional follow-up. The third edition of the association's professional colloquium, "Beyond labels, reinventing support," was held in Trélon in September 2025, underscoring the organization's positioning around care methodology innovation. Affiliated facilities La Ferme du Pont de Sains and Centre Bol Vert extend the service ecosystem.

Name

maison des enfants

Legal name

Association Traits d'Union

Website

https://lamaisondesenfants.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Association Traits d'Union, operating Maison des Enfants, is a French non-profit association (founded 1922, public utility since 1934) delivering child welfare, family support, and medico-social services for individuals with disabilities across Hauts-de-France, funded by government subsidies and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social and Medico-Social Services

NAICS

Health Care and Social Assistance (62), Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (623210), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Needs–Inclusive Nursery & Playgroups (EDACACAJ), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Medico-social services
• Disability care support
• Family support services
• Early childhood care

Headquarters

HQ city

Hautmont

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Maison des enfants (Association Traits d'Union) is a French non-profit association founded in 1922 that delivers social and medico-social services to vulnerable children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities or family difficulties. The association operates Maisons d'Enfants à Caractère Social (MECS), specialized educational institutes (IME, IMPro), a sheltered employment establishment (ESAT), housing support, early childhood care (Maison des Tout-Petits), parenting and sibling support services, and a training division, all coordinated across four regional poles.

Product overview

Association Traits d'Union operates a comprehensive social and medico-social services portfolio organized into four main poles: Enfance et Famille (Childhood and Family), Médico-Social Enfance (Child Medical-Social), Médico-Social Adulte (Adult Medical-Social), and Training. The Maison des Tout-Petits is a recently opened childcare facility under the Enfance pole. Services include MECS (Maisons d'Enfants à Caractère Social) with specialized streams for Enfance, Pré-adolescence, Adolescence, Siblings, and Parenting support, plus SESSAD, InterMED, IME (for ages 4-20 with intellectual disabilities), IMPro (vocational training), ESAT (work assistance for adults), and housing support. Educational units are integrated across IME, IMPro, and MECS facilities. This is a unified public interest association offering coordinated care pathways from early childhood through adulthood for individuals with disabilities or family difficulties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MECS - Maison des Tout-Petits Early childhood care facility for babies and very young children (tout-petits) in difficult family situations, located at 33 rue Caroly Mary in Hautmont; opened January 26, 2026.
• MECS - Service Enfance Childhood protection services providing care, evaluation, orientation, and support for children facing family difficulties.
• MECS - Service Pré-adolescence Pre-adolescence services for children in difficulty during the pre-teen years.
• MECS - Service Adolescence Adolescence services providing support and care for teenagers facing family difficulties.
• MECS - Service fratrie Sibling support services helping brothers and sisters within families facing difficulties.
• MECS - Service Parentalité Parenting support services helping parents navigate challenges and strengthen family bonds.
• InterMED Mediation services for children and families within the child protection sector.
• SESSAD (Services d'Education Spécialisée et de Soins à Domicile) Specialized education and home care services supporting children with disabilities within their home environment.
• IME - Institut Médico-Educatif de Trélon Medical-educational institute providing care and education for children and adolescents aged 4 to 20 with intellectual disabilities.
• IMPro - Institut Médico-Professionnel Medical-vocational institute providing professional training and support for people with disabilities.
• EMAS et PAS Educational and support measures for children with disabilities, including schooling assistance and support programs.
• ESAT - Etablissement et Service d'Aide par le Travail Work assistance establishment providing adapted working conditions and employment for adults with disabilities.
• Dispositif Habitat Housing support services providing adapted accommodation solutions for adults with disabilities.
• Pôle Formation Training division providing professional development and educational programs.
• Unité d'Enseignement Educational units integrated within the IME, IMPro, and MECS facilities providing schooling alongside care services.

Quantifiable outcome

• First babies welcomed January 26, 2026 after nearly three years of development work

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• La Ferme du Pont de SainsminorOthersLinked partner organization under the Association Traits d'Union network, providing additional services within the association ecosystem.
• Centre Bol VertminorOthersLinked partner organization under the Association Traits d'Union network, providing additional services within the association ecosystem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ADAPEI du Nord: Departmental federation for parents and friends of children with intellectual disabilities operating IME, ESAT, foyers, and SESSAD specifically in the Nord department — the same Hauts-de-France geography as Traits d'Union. Most direct geographic peer.
• Association La Sauvegarde du Nord: Departmental association (Association de Sauvegarde de l'Enfance et de l'Adolescence) operating MECS, foyers, and child-protection services across the Nord department. Most directly comparable child-welfare peer in the same territory.
• Fondation OVE: French non-profit operating IME, IMPro, ESAT, SESSAD, MAS, and foyers across multiple regions. Directly comparable to Traits d'Union because it delivers the same medico-social service mix for children and adults with disabilities, with similar public-funder dependency.

Regional players

• Fondation du Nord: Regional Hauts-de-France foundation funding and operating solidarity, inclusion, and social-services projects including support for vulnerable children. Comparable mission geography and beneficiary profile.
• Fondation Notre-Dame: French charitable foundation operating child-protection, family-support, and social-inclusion programs, primarily in northern France. Comparable service mix (MECS-style child welfare, family support, disability services) and association-based governance.
• Association ALYS: Hauts-de-France-based association operating MECS and medico-social services for children and adolescents. Directly comparable regional peer competing for the same departmental contracts in the Nord.

Broad incumbents

• Croix-Rouge française: One of France's largest non-profit social-service operators with medico-social establishments, child-protection services, and training programs across all regions. Comparable portfolio breadth and public-funder model, though at vastly larger national scale.
• APAJH: National federation of associations (Association Pour Adultes et Jeunes Handicapés) operating IME, ESAT, foyers, and SESSAD throughout France. Directly comparable service portfolio for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with a federated multi-region governance model.
• Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil: Major French non-profit foundation operating MECS, child-protection, and education programs nationally. Comparable as a multi-service social association serving children and families in difficulty, though at substantially larger national scale than Traits d'Union.

Others

• Union Nationale des Associations de Sauvegarde de l'Enfance (UNASEA): Federation of French child-protection associations. Not a direct operator but a coordinating body representing associations with the same MECS and child-protection mandate as Traits d'Union.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maison-des-enfants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about maison des enfants