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INTRODUCTION: In France, care pathways in child mental health remain complex and difficult to navigate for families, despite political efforts to strengthen outpatient support. Often mobilized as “resources,” families are still rarely recognized as full partners in the care process.

OBJECTIVES AND METHOD: This collaborative action research, conducted in a CMPP (centre médico-psycho-pédagogique; center for medical, psychological, and educational care) located in a rural area, aimed to better understand the obstacles experienced by families and to co-construct with them concrete proposals to improve their support. The study adopted a qualitative approach based on two components: fifteen semi-structured interviews with parents, complemented by twenty-five interviews with CMPP professionals; followed by a participatory workshop with three volunteer mothers over six working sessions.

RESULTS: The analysis highlighted several facilitating factors, including caring professional attitudes, holistic support, and associative assistance. It also revealed persistent barriers such as diagnostic delay, administrative overload, a lack of accessible information, social isolation, and the invisibilization of the parental role. The workshops led to concrete proposals: a simplified welcome booklet, peer-support cafés, parental support groups, video capsules for professional training, and a partnership ethical charter. Some of these initiatives will be piloted from September 2025 with institutional support.

DISCUSSION: Based on the “Montreal model” of patient engagement, this study demonstrates that recognizing parental experiential knowledge shifts professional practices toward genuine co-production of care pathways.

CONCLUSION: This work opens up concrete prospects for transformation in other medico-social structures seeking to strengthen family participation.