CNAF'S PRESENTATION

CNAF (National Family Fund)

The family branch of the French social security system – of which the CNAF (Caisse nationale des allocations familiales) is the leading player – is a cornerstone of France’s pro-family policy. Apart from family benefits and a broad range of actions in the social sphere, it also administers three minimum income programmes, playing a major role in delivering France’s solidarity policy. Total annual benefit payments made by the CNAF are of the order of €60 billion.

Family and Solidarity

The different types of benefits financed and administered by the family branch of France’s social security system are designed to meet four main goals:

• to contribute to family living expenses, notably through the family allowance in the strictest sense of the term (allocations familiales),
• to offset the additional family costs due to the arrival of a child, in particular through an infant accommodation benefit (PAJE) and funding of collective childcare such as nurseries and stop-over centres,
• to facilitate access to housing by means of a housing allowance,
• to offset the consequences of job insecurity and disability, through three minimum income programmes: the single parent’s allowance (API), the disabled adult’s allowance (AAH) (funded by the State but administered by the local family funds (CAF) and the guaranteed minimum income (Revenue Minimum d’Insertion) (funded by the départements, but administered by the local family funds).

With the aim of supporting families in their desire to raise a child, a number of benefits are available with no means requirement, while other types of benefits are means-tested. At the same time, the payment of maternity benefit is contingent on mandatory medical checkups for the pregnant mother and infant. Over the past few decades, this link between benefit and medical supervision has contributed to a sharp reduction in infant mortality rates.

In 2004, the family branch of the social security system paid out a total €42 billion in benefits, including €10 billion in early childhood benefits and €7 billion in housing allowances. Benefits targeting job insecurity (minimum income programmes) and allowances for childless couples were of the order of €18 billion.

Overall, family benefits are paid out to more than 10.5 million people living in France or in the French overseas departments. These payments mean that, every month, several hundred thousands of families are delivered from the clutches of poverty.

A broad programme of social action

The family branch of the social security system devotes more than €3 billion to various types of social action aimed at:

• expanding childcare options and leisure activities outside school time for children and adolescents,
• providing support to parents,
• improving the living conditions of families,
• supporting young adults.

The CNAF’s social action is family-centred and based on the principles of decentralisation, prevention and partnership. Its efforts to expand childcare options and leisure activities, for example, may take the form of "infants’ contracts" or "free-time contracts" between the local family funds and local public or private authorities or organisations (municipalities, social centres, associations, etc.). In 2004, 4,240 infants’ contracts had been signed further to their introduction in 1988.

A single national family fund and 123 local family funds

A public body with an administrative role, the CNAF divides up resources among the different local family funds and manages the institution’s capital expenditure. It produces references and methods – notably for human resources management and work planning – and assesses its constituent agencies and their management teams. Its remit also includes formulating strategy and social action policies.

In 2005, the CNAF signed its third “objectives and management agreement” with the State.

Today the family benefits system comprises 123 local family funds working in direct contact with the public. The existence of more funds than départements can be explained by historical factors, with certain départements maintaining more than one agency. This has not prevented the pooling of resources however - today the network includes a number of common services, like the eight regional data processing centres (Certi), the various training centres, statistical research centres and the social security real estate unions.

To implement its activities on the ground, the CNAF has 35,000 employees and a state-of-the art information system using the CRISTAL model.

The CNAF’s activities mean that few societal issues escape its notice, whether related to demographic trends, poverty, job insecurity, housing or changing family patterns.