How can you become a family-friendly host (for the elderly and people with disabilities)?

Verified 03 June 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

A family host takes in at least one elderly person or disabled adult who, in exchange, pays him or her. To become a family friendly, you must first obtain an accreditation from the department's services. Approval may be granted to a person or a couple for a period of 5 years and may be renewed. We present you with the information you need to know.

Obligations of the family host

In order to obtain the approval of a family host, you must guarantee the reception conditions that will ensure the health, safety, physical and moral well-being of the persons received.

You must commit to ensuring a continuous reception, by offering, in particular, in the hosting contract, satisfactory alternatives during your periods of absence (e.g. leave).

You must commit to initial and ongoing training, as well as an introduction to first aid.

You must accept that the people you receive can benefit from social and medico-social care, including visits to your home.

You must commit to subscribing to a insurance contract guaranteeing the financial consequences of your civil liability because of any damage sustained by the person being received.

FYI  

You and the person with whom you live as a couple must not be related, up to and including 4th degree, with the person being welcomed.

Accommodation of the welcoming family

You must have a dwelling whose condition, dimensions, and environment meet the criteria of decency.

Your accommodation must be compatible with the constraints related to the age or disability of each person accommodated.

FYI  

The person being cared for must be able to function, or have a loss of autonomy compatible with family care, i.e. not be heavily dependent (e.g. not needing constant care).

Each guest must have a room of at least 9 m² (or 16 m² for 1 couple) with a window directly overlooking the outside. The room must be located near a bathroom and toilet.

Guests must have free access to the common areas (e.g. the living room).

You must follow 3 steps:

1. Apply for the family host registration

You must request the accreditation form from your department.

It is recommended that you send your letter of request by registered mail with notice of receipt.

Who shall I contact

2. Complete the application for approval

You will then receive a file to complete, including the application form and the list of documents to be provided.

The form shall specify in particular:

  • The maximum number of elderly or disabled people you want to accommodate, as well as, possibly, the distribution between these 2 types of people
  • The arrangements for full or part-time reception, in particular day-time or night-time reception, permanent, temporary or sequential.

Once you have completed the file, you must send it to the President of the Departmental Council:

  • Either by registered letter with notice of receipt
  • Or by depositing it on the spot, against receipt.
Who shall I contact

After receiving your file, the department services have 15 days to:

  • If your file is complete, send you an acknowledgement of receipt
  • Or, if your file is incomplete, ask you for the missing information or documents

3. Receive visits from professionals in the department

The department's service representatives arrange at least one interview with you, and possibly with the people who will replace you at your home, and those with whom you live.

They visit your home at least once.

They're checking to see if you have any convictions.

The department services have 4 months to make their decision, after receiving your complete file. If no reply is received after this period, approval shall be deemed to have been granted. In this case, we are talking about implied decision to approve.

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Approval Decision

The approval decision shall state the following:

  • Your name, first name and address
  • Date of grant and end of approval
  • Number of people who can be accommodated simultaneously, up to a limit of 3 (or 4 in the case of derogation granted by the president of the departmental council for the reception of a couple)
  • Optionally, maximum number of hosting contracts implemented at the same time (up to 8)
  • Possibly, distribution between older people and people with disabilities
  • Method of reception for each person received (permanent or temporary, full-time, part-time, day or night, or sequential)
  • Indication of whether persons benefiting from social assistance for accommodation

The approval decision may also contain the following information:

  • Characteristics, in terms of disability and loss of autonomy, of the persons accommodated
  • Specific modes of your training, follow-up and support and, possibly of the people you welcome, for the reception of people whose loss of autonomy or disability requires it

FYI  

If the approval decision does not correspond to your request (number of persons received, types of persons received, reception arrangements), the decision must state the reason for this.

Implied decision to approve

The acknowledgement of receipt of your complete file indicates that you can ask the department services to issue you a certificate.

Decision to refuse authorization

The decision to refuse your application for approval must state the reasons for the refusal.

You do not have to re-apply for approval within one year of the refusal decision.

Approval is granted for 5 years. This period shall be renewable.

The content of a valid authorization may be amended by decree of the President of the Departmental Council:

  • Either on your request. You must then provide a reason for this.
  • On the initiative of the President of the Departmental Council.

FYI  

Changing the content of the approval does not affect the end date of your approval.

In order to obtain a change in your approval, you must make a request to the President of the Departmental Council.

The process is identical to that of your application for approval.

Who shall I contact

You must apply for renewal of your license at least 6 months before the end of its validity.

FYI  

In the year preceding the expiry of your license, the department's services will send you a reminder by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.

The process is identical to that of your application for approval.

Who shall I contact

If you are planning to move, you should inform the department.

The approach is different depending on the location of your future move-in:

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Moving to the same department

At least 1 month before moving in, you must provide your new address to the department services.

You must do so by registered letter with notice of receipt.

Who shall I contact

FYI  

The approval may be withdrawn if the conditions of reception are no longer met.

Moving to another department

At least 1 month before moving in, you must tell your new department. You must attach a copy of the approval decision to your mail.

You must send your mail by registered letter with notice of receipt.

Who shall I contact

FYI  

The approval may be withdrawn if the conditions of reception are no longer met.

Where the two members of a couple no longer jointly carry out the reception activity, the authorization issued to them as a couple shall no longer be valid,

In this case, the couple or one of its members must inform the president of the departmental council as soon as possible.

It is recommended to do so by registered letter with notice of receipt.

Who shall I contact

If only one or each of these persons wishes to continue his or her host activity, he or she must apply for individual authorization.

After having obtained this individual approval, it must bring the current hosting contracts into line with its new approval.

The department's services ensure that the family host complies with the conditions of the accreditation. This is the case in particular in the absence of a host contract or of the non-subscription of an insurance contract.

The departmental services are asking you, by registered letter with notice of receipt, to remedy this situation.

If you do not take this notice into account, the approval will be withdrawn, after the advisory committee on withdrawal of authorization.

You are informed by registered letter with request of notice of receipt, of the meeting of the committee, at least 1 month in advance.

During the committee meeting, you can be assisted by 2 people of your choice

You can present your arguments in writing, or you can present them at the committee meeting.

The commission deliberates outside of your presence and the people who assist you.

FYI  

In case of emergency, the approval can be withdrawn without prior notice or consultation of the advisory committee on withdrawal of authorization.

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