Source date: 2026-06-16
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Enhanced rights for parents of children with serious illnesses Published on June 17, 2026 - Service Public / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
A law dated June 12, 2026, expands protection and rights for parents of children with cancer, a serious illness, or a disability. For example, this text doubles the number of leave days granted to parents facing the diagnosis of a disability or cancer in their child.
In the foreword to the bill aimed at improving the protection and support of parents of children with cancer, a serious illness, or a disability, it is recalled that "the detection of a serious illness or disability in a child causes major upheavals in family life. In addition to worry and the care protocol, there is a complete reorganization of daily life and numerous material constraints, often leading to financial and administrative difficulties".
Many changes are thus being implemented to support parents of seriously ill children, following the enactment of this law dated June 12, 2026.
Changes to the Parental Presence Allowance
The Parental Presence Allowance (AJPP) is financial aid that may be paid to you if you are caring for your child who is seriously ill, injured, or disabled. This aid is subject to conditions.
The sick child's doctor must issue a certificate attesting to the severity of the illness and the essential nature of sustained parental presence alongside the child. This certificate specifies the foreseeable duration of the treatment administered; and the parents of the sick child may benefit from the AJPP for a period equal to this foreseeable treatment duration.
The foreseeable treatment duration may be reviewed at a deadline set by the doctor. This review takes place no earlier than 6 months after the previous examination conducted by the doctor. The maximum timeframe for conducting this review has, for its part, been modified by the law of June 12, 2026. The objective, according to the bill's report, is to "simplify the process for parents in their annual renewal of the parental presence allowance". Henceforth, the child's examination by the doctor, to determine a new foreseeable treatment duration and therefore the new entitlement period for the AJPP, may take place later than before; the maximum timeframe for this review is now set at 14 months, compared to one year previously.
It is now explicitly provided for in the Consumer Code that parents benefiting from the parental presence allowance may request judicial suspension of a credit repayment obligation.
Timeframe for notifying your employer of parental presence leave
You may take parental presence leave if you have a dependent child suffering from an illness or disability, or victim of an accident of particular severity, requiring sustained presence and demanding care.
Henceforth, you must inform your employer of your intention to take parental presence leave at least 10 days before the start of the leave, instead of 15 days previously.
Dismissal and parental presence leave
The law of June 12, 2026, extends the period during which an employer cannot dismiss an employee who has taken parental presence leave. Until now, it was only stipulated that an employer could not terminate an employee's employment contract during parental presence leave (nor during working periods, when parental presence leave is split or taken part-time). Henceforth, in addition to these periods, the employer also cannot dismiss the employee during the 10 weeks following the end of parental presence leave.
However, the employer may still terminate the employee's contract in cases of gross misconduct, or if maintaining the contract is impossible for reasons unrelated to the child's health condition, as was already provided for in the Labor Code previously.
Possibility of adjusted working hours
The Labor Code now states that parents or legal guardians of a child whose health condition necessitates sustained presence may benefit from individualized work schedule adjustments. This measure is modeled on what was already in force for family caregivers and relatives of persons with disabilities, among others.
Extension of parental leave duration upon announcement of a disability or pathology in their child
The duration of leave you may take when facing the announcement of the onset, in your child, of a disability, a chronic pathology requiring therapeutic education, or cancer is now 10 working days, compared to 5 working days previously.
Possibility of early release of savings
Parents who have a child with a disability, a serious condition, or who is a victim of an accident of particular severity may now access their savings early from:
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a group life insurance contract (a contract concluded for a group of people, for example a contract concluded by an employer for the benefit of its employees), where benefits are linked to the cessation of professional activity;
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a retirement savings plan. Savings held in an individual retirement savings plan, for example, are generally locked until the holder retires.
Housing rights for parents of sick children
Having a dependent child suffering from an illness or disability, or victim of an accident of particular severity, now constitutes one of the grounds entitling one to public assistance from the community to access decent and independent housing, or to remain in housing meeting these criteria.
Mon soutien psy: removal of session cap for children with long-term conditions
The Mon soutien psy scheme provides for coverage by Health Insurance of a maximum of 12 sessions with a psychologist per calendar year.
This cap has been removed for minors suffering from a long-term condition, when these sessions with a psychologist are part of a care protocol. For these children, there is therefore no longer a limit on the number of sessions covered by Health Insurance under the Mon soutien psy scheme.
Laws and references
See also
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Parental presence leave for employees in the private sector Service Public
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Parental Presence Allowance (AJPP) Service Public
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Retirement Savings Plan (PER) Service Public
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Individual Retirement Savings Plan: new tax rules in 2026 Service Public
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Source: Service-Public individuals