Caisse Nationale des Allocations Familiales

The CNAF (Family branch of the social security scheme) and its large network of decentralised CAFs (Caisses desallocations familiales) (123 local family allowance funds) play a key andpivotal role 1) in the funding and provision of childcare services 2) in providing families and households with a lot of benefits and allowances (including housing benefits) . In theory,social partners such as family organisations, employers’ representativesand workers’ trade unions, which are represented on the executiveboard of the CNAF, periodically determine the orientations forintervention in family and childcare policies. In practice, decisions aremade by the government, whether approved or not by the executiveboard. It is solely at the local level that the executive boards of theCAFs have any real decision-making power, and in particular, a marginfor manoeuvre in the funding and development of childcare services.