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Government Programmes in France - National Family Allowance Office (CNAF) Through the Family Allowance Offices, the CNAF administers the following programmes and allowances: Minimum Integration Revenue (RMI) RMI was instituted in 1988 (article 2 of the Loi no. 88-1088 du 1er décembre 1988 relative au Revenu minimum d'insertion (Act No. 88-1088 of 1 December 1988 on Minimum Integration Revenue)). It guarantees minimum resources to all persons of 25 years of age or more. For persons having at least a child born or to be born, the age limit does not exist. A person who requests RMI commits him/herself to participate in the activities necessary for his/her social and vocational integration. RMI is financed by the State and territorial collectivities and is granted by the National Family Allowance Office or the Agricultural Social Mutual Insurance System (MSA). Young Children Allowance This Allowance is granted to the person or household whose revenue does not exceed a certain amount of money, in the following circumstances (article L. 531-1 of the Social Security Code):
The mode of calculation of the amount of the Allowance is further defined in articles R. 531-7 to R. 531-15 of the same Code. Family Allowances According to article L. 521-1 of the Social Security Code, these Family Allowances are due from the second dependent child. They are granted to the person who is effectively and permanently responsible for the child. It may be granted to the Social Assistance to Childhood Service when the child is entrusted to it (article L. 521-2). The Allowances is increased when the children (with the exception of the first one) reach the age of eleven, and then further increased when the children reach the age of sixteen. The said increase is granted for all children when the family has three or more children (articles L. 521-3 and R. 521-1). Family Complement According to article L. 522-1 of the Social Security Code, this Complement is granted to a person or household whose resources do not exceed a certain amount of money and who is responsible for a number of children who have all reached the age after which the Young Child Allowance is not any longer granted. The question of resources is settled by the same articles as for the Young Child Allowance (articles R. 531-7 to 531-15). The number of children must be at least of three of more than three years of age (article R. 522-1). Family Support Allowance This Support is introduced by article L. 523-1 of the Social Security Code. It helps a surviving spouse, a single parent or a foster family to bring up any children whose charge they assume. More precisely, it is granted in the following cases:
The full rate (orphans, or spouse not receiving subsistence pension) is FF 592 per child, and the partial rate (all other cases) FF 444 per child. When the father, the mother or the person who has the right to the Family Support Allowance gets married or lives maritally, the right disappears (article L. 523-2). School Return Allowance This Allowance is provided for in article L. 543-1 of the Social Security Code. It is granted to the household, or the person, whose resource does not exceed a certain amount of money depending upon the number of dependent children for each child registered in a public or private establishment during compulsory schooling. The Allowance is granted for a child between 6 and 18 years of age (article R. 543-2), when he/she pursues his/her studies or apprenticeship, and whose remuneration does not exceed a certain amount of money (article L. 543-1). Lone-Parent Allowance (API) Created in 1976, this Allowance is embedded in article L. 524-1 of the Social Security Code. Its aim is to bring minimum resources to isolated persons who take on the responsibility of a child. Each isolated person benefits from a family revenue according to the number of children. API is the difference between this family revenue and the total of the person's resources. The following persons are considered as lone-parent: widow(er)s, divorced, separated, abandoned or single, as well as pregnant lone women (article L. 524-2). Depending upon the circumstances, the Allowance is granted, either during 12 consecutive months, or until the third birthday of the last child (article R. 524-6). Child-Rearing Allowance (APE) This Allowance finds its legal basis in the Social Security Code. It is granted when the birth, the adoption or the reception of a child make the number of dependent children amount to a minimum of 2. It is granted to the person (housewife or househusband) who takes care of the child if she/he had previously exercised during 2 years an employment (which gives right to the retirement allowance), and until the child reaches the age of 3 (articles L. 532-1, L. 532-2, R. 532-1 and R. 532-2). The Allowance may be partially granted to a person working part-time (article L. 532-1). It may also be partially granted to both members of the couple if they both work part-time (article L. 532-3). APE cannot be cumulated with various other allowances managed by the National Family Allowance Office (CNAF), such as the Young Child Allowance, the Adoption Allowance, the Family Complement (article L. 532-3) (see the sections on these allowances in the same Chapter on Government Programmes), as well as with the payment of maternity or adoption leaves (article L. 532-4). Granted in 40% of the cases, APE has concretely had an unintended effect: it has been an incentive for non-qualified women to leave the labour market for three years (a long period of time), with the risk of not being able to find a job after this period. The activity rate of women with two young child has decreased from 74% in 1994 to 56% in March 1998 (see BONNET, Carole et LABBÉ, Morgane, "L'activité des femmes après la naissance du premier et deuxième enfant, l'impact de l'allocation parentale d'éducation", Collection études et statistiques n? 10, octobre 1999, Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité). The fact that 98% of parents who take parental leave are women shows that the measure is far from being neutral in terms of encouraging a redistribution of roles between women and men. In the year 2000, in order to favour return to employment, it has been decided to maintain APE during two months when the parent resumes activities between the 18th and the 30th month of the child. Adoption Allowance According to article L. 535-1 of the Social Security Code, the Adoption Allowance is granted at the arrival in the household of: the child or the children, adopted following a decision of the French jurisdiction, or entrusted by the competent services before the adoption; the child or the children, adopted or entrusted before the adoption, following a decision of a competent foreign authorities. The Allowance is granted monthly during 21 months for each child concerned, when the resources of the household do not exceed a certain amount of money (articles L. 535-2 and R. 535-1). The amount of the Allowance is equal to the amount of the Young Child Allowance (article L. 535-2) and the mode of calculation is the same (articles R. 531-7 to R. 531-15) (see above the section on this Allowance). Family Aid for the Employment of Registered Maternal Assistance (AFEAMA) AFEAMA was created in 1990, and has its legal basis in articles L. 841-1 to L. 841-4 of the Social Security Code. The idea is that the National Family Allowance Office (CNAF) covers the childminder's social security contributions (employer's and employee's contributions). This Assistance is granted to a person or a household to employ a maternal assistant, as defined in article 123-1 of the Family and Social Assistance Code, in order to take care, at the assistant's place, of a child of less than six years of age (articles L. 841-1 and R. 841-1 of the Social Security Code). Responsibility of the CNAF, this Assistance permits that thirteen per cent of the children of less than 3 years of age are taken care of at a registered maternal assistant's place. AFEAMA has been recently reformed in order to help a higher number of poor families. Instead of having a fixed amount of French francs 826 per month, an amount of French francs 1,020 is distributed to middle class families and an amount of 1,290 to poor families (see http://www.social.gouv.fr/htm/actu/34_000616c.htm). The amount is divided in two for children older than 3 years of age. Childminding Allowance for Childen Cared for in their Own Home (AGED) This Allowance was established in 1986 and is provided for in article L. 842-1 of the Social Security Code. It was introduced to support a person or household who has recourse to an employee (employees) to take care at home of their child(ren) of less than 6 years of age, when the person or each member of the couple have a minimum occupational activity (article L. 842-1 and R. 842-1). The amount of the Allowance varies with the age of the child(ren) (article R. 842-1). With the Loi no. 94-629 du 25 juillet 1994 d'orientation relative à la famille (Act No. 94-629 of 25 July 1994 on Family), the amount of AGED increased to the level of the total of contributions for a full-time employment remunerated at the Minimum Inter-Professional Wage of Growth (SMIC). Half of the amount of the full AGED is granted to families with children between 3 and 6 years of age. This Allowance is intended to cover the costs of the social security contributions (employers' and employees') involved in employing somebody to care for children at home. The National Family Allowance Office (CNAF) transfers contributions directly to the union for the recovery of social security contributions and family allowances (URSSAF), thus avoiding the need for employers to advance them. In addition, as from 1 January 1992, parents (or a single parent) employing a person to look after children at home qualify for the new "family employment" tax concession. Households may deduct from their tax a sum equal to 50% of expenditure (wages and social security contributions) up to a maximum of French francs 25,000. Parental Presence Allowance (APP) Announced during the 2000 Family Conference (see the Chapter on Legislative and Administrative Institutions), the aims of this Allowance are to give families the possibility to face adequately the occurrence of a serious accident or illness, to provide parents with a legal protection framework when they have to be absent from their job, and to give families the time and the means to organise themselves. The specific cases targeted are when there is a necessity of care and presence with the child, notably in cases of cancer, heavy allergy, and so on. APP came into application on 1 January 2001. The amount of money is of French francs 3,000 per month (full time), 2,000 (for a person who works 50%) and 1,500 (for an activity rate of 80%). In order to encourage parental parity, the Allowance is of 4,000 if the father and the mother each take half a leave. APP is granted for four months, renewable twice, and is open to salaried and non salaried persons, as well as compensated unemployed. However, this Allowance cannot be cumulated with maternity leave, sick leave compensation, unemployment allowance, Child-Rearing Allowance and the complement of allowance for special education. Assistance Plan in favour of collective care facilities for young children This Plan was launched in 2001. It will assist in the creation of additional places in care facilities for young children (such as creches, kindergartens, and other innovative facilities). The objective is to double public investment in favour of these collective care facilities. The investment will be used in order to create between 30,000 and 40,000 additional places. The necessary amount will be credited on the social action fund of the National Family Allowance Office (CNAF). This Plan is based on the observation of the insufficiency of child care equipment and facilities. For example:
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