18 French departments launch service to help elderly with administrative procedures

The French government has selected 18 departments to launch a new service dedicated to streamlining administrative procedures for the elderly, people with disabilities, and carers.

Le Service Publique Départementale de l'Autonomie (SPDA), aims to create “an accessible and democratic society that respects and supports people’s social rights,” reads the dedicated website. 

The service was created as a sub-branch of the ‘Bien-vieillir’ (Age well) law passed on April 8, 2024, and strives to fulfill four key missions:

• Guarantee in-person ‘help desks’ offering access to information, guidance, and referral to the correct contact person without being sent from service to service,

• Assess personal situations and allocate social benefits within the legal deadlines,

• Provide personalised, continuous and coordinated support,

• Carry out preventive actions and outreach initiatives for people in vulnerable situations.

Support will eventually be rolled out across the country but is first being implemented in 18 pilot departments: Alpes-Maritimes, Aveyron, Corrèze, Finistère, Gironde, Hérault, Loir-et-Cher, Mayenne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, le Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Sarthe, Seine-Maritime, Yvelines, Somme, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and overseas territory, Guyane.

The new service also aims to assist with the knock-on effects of France’s ageing population. Official government statistics body Insee, published a study in April stating that in metropolitan France, the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase by 36% between now and 2050, and this growth will continue until 2070.

It also showed that in 2021 Nouvelle-Aquitaine was the French region with the highest proportion (24.5%) of over 65s. In the region’s department of Gironde, more than one in four people are over 60, and the number of people aged 80 and over is expected to increase by around 60% over the next 15 years.

The Connexion spoke to Romain Dostes, Gironde’s Vice-President responsible for senior citizens and intergenerational relations, who is helping to implement the SPDA within his department. 

Launching the project in Gironde

“What we want to avoid is that people find themselves having to approach two, three, four different services before finding the answer they are looking for,” said Mr Dostes. 

He explained that the scheme will function via existing facilities such as CCAS (Community Centres for Social Action), mairies, pharmacies, and the France Services network, which includes partners like La Poste, CAF, CPAM, and France Travail. 

“Partners choose to join the SPDA on a voluntary basis; there is no obligation,” Mr Dotes added. 

Choosing to participate means that staff and secretaries can receive training to help those in need of assistance. These agents should be able to assess people’s situations, research the social benefits to which they are entitled, offer support with administrative procedures, or direct them towards another service that can better respond to their needs.

“This year we are focusing on organising these partners, and from next year we will be able to offer the service to the general public,” Mr Dotes said.

“The project requires quite a significant reorganisation and with partnership projects like this, you need to define the boundaries clearly. Some partners are concerned about having to learn additional skills, so it may take some time.”

A specific timeline is yet to be published.

Offering services ‘close to home’

The premise of the SPDA is to offer assistance that supports people’s independence. Administrative procedures such as submitting tax declarations and renewing residency cards are not directly grouped under this umbrella. However, people seeking support with these processes would be guided towards the appropriate service. 

“We are not aiming to recreate services if there are already operators providing them. We want to make this information more accessible, as we find that people do not know about the different services that exist,” said Mr Dostes. He gave the example of digital isolation, and explained that people requiring technological support are often unaware they can seek assistance via France Services, La Poste, and Emmaüs. 

As well as highlighting existing support, the SPDA is also about providing new services such as the ICOPE scheme, which encourages over 60s to carry out self-assessments regarding loss of autonomy. This helps to put preventative measures in place and organise the rollout of workshops, sporting events and cultural activities that help to combat social isolation. 

“We will also identify geographical areas that are lacking coverage to ensure that these types of activities are offered everywhere in Gironde,” added Mr Dostes, highlighting the intention to extend assistance across rural communes and facilitate equal access to social aid.

All participating operators will eventually be added to an interactive map so that people can find their nearest help desk.

A website is also being developed to provide more information and updates on the development of the SPDA in Gironde. In the meantime, further details can be found via the Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l'autonomie.