Overview
- The government presented an interministerial draft law on 27 May 2026 that is led by Health Minister Stéphanie Rist and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and aims to secure the trajectories of children placed by social services.
- The draft requires systematic criminal background checks for all professionals working with minors and proposes a new 'ordonnance de sûreté de l'enfant' as a judicial tool to protect children.
- Separately, the post‑Bétharram parliamentary proposal was adopted in commission and is due for debate in the National Assembly on 1 June, with several measures explicitly extended to the périscolaire sector.
- Both texts strengthen judicial and disciplinary measures by lengthening the statute of limitations for failure to report, legally banning corporal punishment, and introducing periodic 'certificat d'honorabilité' checks at hiring and every three years.
- Key questions remain about scope, political disputes over private and religious schools and confession, and practical implementation for roughly 380,000 children in state protection because no dedicated new budget envelope has been attached.