On this page

1. Policy legal framework

2. Funding

3. Cooperation

   Policy legal framework

Public authorities, including the Ministries for Youth and Sports as well as local and regional authorities, have been involved in introducing socio-cultural activities (youth work) within an occupational sector that has its own legal framework and systems for employment and training. (See 10.1 Historical developments)

The role of the State

The Ministry for Youth and its decentralised services

Via its Department for Youth, Non-Formal Education and Voluntary Organisations, the Ministry for Youth imposes a framework of rules within the field of facilitation (youth work). It lays down the conditions for access to the posts of facilitator and director of activity centres. It establishes a legal framework for Community Centres for Minors (accueils collectifs de mineurs) and ensures that this is in place, which includes carrying out checks and assessments. The Ministry for Youth’s task is to provide protection for the minors who attend these centres (leisure centres with or without accommodation (centres de loisirs sans hébergement ou avec hébergement)), also known as holiday camps (colonies de vacances), and promote high standards in the activities provided.

Ministry for Youth’s decentralised departments, based within each region, can carry out checks at these centres at any time. They also advise the organisers and management team (facilitators and directors).

The regional level

Since the start of the gradual decentralisation process, which began in the 1980s, the facilitation professions have become regionalised; in other words, the local level (regional authorities and more precisely the communes or inter-communal institutions) plays an important role in the introduction of activities and also in the management of the facilitation professions (the recruitment of facilitators and the directors of organisations).

In fact, municipalities can choose to directly manage the activities it provides, i.e. via a public service delegation within the framework of a public contract, which means that facilitators are recruited through associations. In the case of direct management, facilitators or youth workers are directly employed by communes and form part of municipal staff.

For more information, see chapter 10.2. Administration and governance - local authorities.

Funding

Socio-educational activities and youth work training are often funded through co-financing schemes involving public social action organisations, such as the Family Allowances Fund (caisses d’allocations familiales), local and regional authorities, and associations.

The State financial plan 163 "Youth and volunteering" gathers a part of the allocated budget for youth, non-formal education and volunteering. The programme is allocated €626.6 million under the 2026 Finance Law. Several funding envelopes are mentioned within the programme, including:

• €465 million for the development of civic service
• €113.2 million for actions in favour of youth and non-formal education
• €24.5 million for youth mentoring
• €20.9 million for international mobility
• €2.9 million for youth information
• €3.6 million for educational continuity
• €1.2 million for youth work (animation)

Source: French Government (2025). Cross-cutting policy document. Annex to the draft Finance Law for 2026 – Youth policy.

Local authorities

Included in this budget is non-State funding and funding from institutions, such as that provided by regional authorities — including municipalities (communes) — which set up and manage sports and cultural facilities and also subsidise organisations that provide leisure, sports and/or cultural activities. Municipalities (communes) also employ facilitators and other youth work professionals.

For more information on local competencies linked with children and youth, see chapter 10.2. “administration and governance – local authorities”.

The French National Family Allowances Fund (Caisse nationale des allocations familiales)

In addition the French National Family Allowances Fund (see Glossary), public State institution in charge of the management and payment of familial and individual allowance, contributes to the development of extracurricular (day care centres), as well as before and after-school activities for minors (aged 3 to 17) by also subsidising associations and social centres. Via its CAFs - Regional Family Allowance Funds (caisses territoriales d’allocation familiale) the French National Family Allowances Fund (Caisse nationale des allocations familiales) helps fund activities and youth work activities within the framework of partnership agreements.

This conditional support takes the form of providing services for day care centres without accommodation (accueils de loisirs sans hébergement). These services are only available to day care centres (accueils de loisirs) that are registered with State services and that promote social diversity and affordability for families as part of specific educational projects, by introducing income-based pricing.

The Familial Allowances Funds (Caisses d’Allocations Familiales - CAFs)

The CNAF runs a national network of family allowance funds (CAFs), which operate on a departmental basis. The CAFs can grant children's holiday aid (AVE - Aide aux vacances enfants) to families in receipt of benefits, to help finance holidays. The AVE is granted to families receiving benefits whose children are aged between 7 and 16.

Aid for funding youth work training

Certain organisations offer conditional or unconditional financial assistance, such as Family Allowances Fund (Caisse d’allocations familiales), Regional Councils, France travail (e.g. national public employment service), etc). With regard to the funding of training for professional facilitators’ qualifications, local and regional authorities (including regions) are the main funders of training in socio-cultural facilitation.

Cooperation

The implementation of socio-educational activities, particularly those related to youth work, is based on cooperation between various institutional and non-profit stakeholders, including the Ministry of Youth and Voluntary organisations' decentralized services, local authorities, youth and popular education organisations and federations, as well as public social service bodies such as municipal social action centres (CCAS - Centres communaux d’action sociale), the French Local Missions (public employment and social inclusion services for young people), and family allowance funds (CAFs - Caisses d’allocations familiales) (see Glossary). These partnerships may also involve additional stakeholders, notably research institutes and organisations specialising in the study of youth policies.

These partnerships most often take the form of agreements or contracts concluded between the different stakeholders, which define the objectives and the arrangements for implementing youth work initiatives.

Cooperation within Territorial Educational Projects (PEDTs - Projets éducatifs territoriaux)

The Territorial Educational Project agreement (see section 10.2 on intersectoral cooperation) is signed by the mayor, the prefect, and the relevant academic authorities of the Ministry of National Education, as well as by the director of the Family Allowance Fund (CAF - Caisse d’allocations familiales) where the PEDT includes declared leisure activities eligible for its funding schemes.

Other partners involved in the PEDT, particularly other local authorities and non-profit organisations, may also be signatories to the agreement.

The signatories agree on the nature of the activities, determine their organisational arrangements, and ensure that they are suited to the needs of the children concerned.

Cooperation within arts and cultural education projects

The implementation of cultural and artistic education policies is also based on multiannual agreements between local authorities, the State’s decentralized administrations — particularly the Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs (DRAC - Directions régionales des affaires culturelles), the academic authorities (rectorats), and the Regional Directorates for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (DRAAF - Directions régionales de l’alimentation, de l’agriculture et de la forêt) — as well as institutional and non-profit stakeholders in the relevant territory (including artists, cultural and socio-cultural organisations, youth actors, and social sector organisations).