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This study focusses on the period in which placements come into effect by drawing on the direct testimonies of the children. Its objectives are to describe the emotions that these children experience at the time of separation and arrival at a new living-space such as they report them and to explore the adaptive strategies which these children make use of to cope with separation. Fifteen children aged ten to eighteen were questioned in the context of semi-structured interviews. The results were processed quantitatively and qualitatively with the semantic analysis software Tropes and its “Emotaix” scenario, which identifies and categorizes the emotional lexicon present in the accounts. Analysis of the results shows that the children mostly feel emotions with a negative valence at the time of placement. The most salient emotions fall into four categories: anxiety, discomfort, disorder, and well-being, with the last being proportionately much less represented. In light of attachment theory, this study helps to improve our understanding of the children’s experience when the placement comes into effect and to formulate recommendations aimed at better supporting them.