Insertion professionnelle et sociale des jeunes vulnérables [Les conseillers des missions locales entre adaptation et tensions

Abstract

This paper builds on previous research on the support of disadvantaged young people in local social and health policies. Based on research conducted within the local missions, it shows that there is a tension between the political trends, which demand a quick professional integration of young people from the dedicated services, and the difficulty for workers to meet this requirement. The aim of this paper is to analyze the interplay between the expectations of young people and the logics of integration policies, as well as the role that the professional identity of the workers plays in this regard. As a result, it appears that the workers demonstrate a caring attitude as well as aspiration for social efficiency and affirmation of professionalism. These intervention logics depend also on the local settings structuring the activities of the workers in terms of partnership organization and the characteristics of the young people arriving at the local missions.