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1. Existence of a National Strategy on social inclusion

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority

4. Revisions/ Updates

Existence of a National Strategy on social inclusion

In France, young people are not the focus of a dedicated inclusion strategy. However, they are identified as one of the target groups of the Pact of Solidarities 2023-2027 (Pacte des solidarités), a part of which is specifically devoted to them.

The Pact of Solidarities, which came into effect on January 1, 2024, constitutes the French State’s strategy for the prevention and exit from poverty. It continues the work of the National Strategy for the Prevention and Fight Against Poverty (Stratégie nationale de prévention et de lutte contre la pauvreté) 2018-2022, which was based on “emergency findings.”

This Pact, like the 2018-2022 strategy, results from a multi-stakeholder consultation led by the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight Against Poverty (Délégation interministérielle à la lutte contre la pauvreté, DIPLP), involving associations, trade unions, and the National Committee for the Fight Against Exclusion (Comité national de lutte contre l’exclusion, CNLE).

It notably includes some of the axes from the 2018-2022 strategy, particularly support for young people from child welfare services: the strategy led to Law No. 2022-140 of February 7, 2022 relating to the protection of children, which recognizes the right to support for young people coming from Child Welfare Services (Aide sociale à l’enfance - ASE) until the age of 21.

Scope and contents

The Pact of Solidarities is based on four main axes:

• Axis 1: Prevent poverty and fight inequalities from childhood
• Axis 2: Amplify the policy of access to employment for all
• Axis 3: Fight severe exclusion through access to rights
• Axis 4: Build a socially responsible ecological transition

Regarding childhood and youth, this Pact notably relies on:

• The public early childhood service, through the creation of childcare places;
• The fight against child malnutrition, through the rollout of free breakfasts at school and the 'MALIN program' of discount vouchers for infant food;
• Equal opportunities at school, notably through school scholarships, homework assistance, and the mobilization of social funds;
• Professional integration of young people, notably through the reform of vocational high schools, student scholarships, and student meals at 1 euro via the CROUS (Regional Centres for University and School Services);
• Menstrual precarity among young women, notably through support for homeless women and the creation of emergency shelters.

Some issues specifically concern populations from rural areas or overseas territories regardless of age: thus, a specific action plan of the Pact in favor of the overseas territories has been announced to strengthen parenting support, access to rights and housing, and to combat school dropout and health inequalities. 

To achieve this goal, calls for projects have been launched at the departmental and regional levels. They invite interested stakeholders to apply to conduct territorial diagnostics and develop local action plans.

Responsible authority

Responsable authorithies of the Pact

The Pact of Solidarities is based on multi-level governance involving the State, local authorities, social protection and employment operators, and the voluntary sector. It is less a strictly state-run public policy than a coordinated mechanism aimed at bringing together historically fragmented administrative responsibilities (social action, employment, housing, health, and education):

• The State: Interministerial coordination is provided by the Interministerial Delegation for the Prevention and Fight against Poverty (Délégation interministérielle à la prévention et à la lutte contre la pauvreté - DIPLP), which reports to the Ministry in charge of Solidarity. The DIPLP coordinates the actions of the various administrations concerned (employment, health, housing, education) and monitors implementation at the local level. It also organizes contractual agreements with local authorities and produces common methodological tools.
• Departments: Departmental councils are the main local operators of the Pact. Legally responsible for active solidarity income (revenu de solidarité active - RSA), social integration, and child protection, they implement a large part of the measures in practice: support for beneficiaries, social monitoring, guidance towards employment, and integration actions. The Pact aims in particular to better coordinate their social skills with national employment policies.
• Municipalities and inter-municipal bodies: Municipalities mainly intervene through municipal social action centers (centres communaux d’action sociale - CCAS). They provide local social services, administrative domiciliation, access to rights, and emergency assistance. They are often the first point of administrative contact for people in precarious situations.
• Public social protection and employment operators: Several public bodies play a key role in implementing the Pact: France Travail; Family Allowances Fund (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales - CAF); or Regional Health Agencies (Agence Régionales de Santé - ARS).
• The voluntary sector: The voluntary sector provides social support on the ground, access to rights, food aid, accommodation, and identification of those most distant from institutions. In particular, they work with people who do not claim benefits or who are severely excluded.

Monitoring and evaluation of the Pact

The 2023-2027 Solidarity Pact is more of a public policy driven by data and territorial contractualization than a program whose impact can already be measured. It is monitored at the national level by the Interministerial Delegation for the Prevention and Fight against Poverty (DIPLP), which publishes annual implementation reports; In 2026, it published 2025 Activity Report of the Interministerial Delegation for the Prevention and Fight against Poverty (Rapport d'activité 2025 de la délégation interministérielle à la prévention et à la lutte contre la pauvreté), presenting the progress of the measures and their regional deployment. 

The main results observed concerning young people in this report are:

• The confirmation of early childhood prevention as a structuring priority of the Solidarity Pact (social investment approach).
• The funding of local initiatives through Local Solidarity Pacts for children and young people in precarious situations (educational support, parenting support, access to rights).
• Support for social pricing of school meals and breakfasts, in order to combat food and educational inequalities.
• The development of initiatives focused on early childhood (access to childcare options for low-income families, support for parents).
• The strengthening of outreach programs to identify families disconnected from institutions and prevent situations of crisis (dropping out, isolation).
• The integration of young people into integration pathways linked to employment policies and comprehensive support.

At the same time, the production of evidence is mainly based on the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation, and Statistics (DREES), the statistical service of the Ministry in charge of Solidarity. The analyses rely on multidimensional administrative and social indicators—access to rights, non-take-up of benefits, professional integration, prevention of child poverty and severe exclusion—rather than on the poverty rate alone. At this stage, the available reports mainly concern the monitoring of implementation and territorial governance; a meaningful assessment of effectiveness, based on the socio-economic impact of the program, will require the availability of consolidated data and can therefore only be undertaken from the interim evaluation. Local solidarity contracts concluded with local authorities are subject to a mandatory mid-term evaluation scheduled for 2026, covering the first years of implementation (2024-2025).

Revisions/Updates

See Section 4.8. 'Current debates and reforms'.