Forthcoming policy developments

Publication of the Kit “Program for young people in crisis - Toolkit and resources for professionals”

In April 2025, a toolkit entitled Program for young people in crisis - Toolkit and resources for professionals (Programme pour les jeunes en rupture - Kit des outils et moyens d’accompagnement à destination des professionnels) has been developed to assist professionals working with young people in crisis (i.e., adolescents and young adults facing situations of precariousness, academic failure, marginalization, or social and family isolation).

Designed by the Interministerial Delegation for the Prevention and Fight against Poverty (Délégation interministérielle à la prévention et à la lutte contre la pauvreté - DIPLP) and the General Delegation for Employment and Vocational Training (Délégation générale à l’emploi et à la formation professionnelle - DGEFP), the kit is based on practices observed in the field and on the recommendations of the National Meeting on Disadvantaged Youth held on January 29, 2025, which brought together nearly 400 participants.

Publication of the Youth Policy Advisory Council (Conseil d'orientation des politiques de jeunesse - COJ)

On February 9, 2026, the COJ published its report on young people in training and precarious situations, in the form of an action plan to prevent young people (students, apprentices, and interns) from dropping out of their studies.

This action plan proposes 14 recommendations to secure the future of young people around four areas:

• Removing financial and organizational barriers to training;
• Encouraging living conditions conducive to continuing education;
• Securing young people's income throughout their training;
• Guaranteeing effective access to rights and combating non-take-up.

Current debates and reforms

End of closed educational centers

On February 2026, the French Ministry of Justice has announced the gradual closure of closed educational centers (Centres éducatifs fermés - CEFs) and youth protection centers (Protection judiciaire de la jeunesse - PJJs), which will be replaced by judicial units with an educational focus (Unités judiciaires à priorité éducative - UJPEs).

These new structures aim to refocus the system on education, with additional technical teachers and healthcare staff. The transformation will first affect the 19 public CEFs and 66 PJJ centers in September 2026, followed by the 39 CEFs run by associations. The aim is also to make jobs in the youth judicial protection sector more attractive.