A national information system designed to centralize and track reports of abuse against vulnerable adults is being rolled out across France, following a decree issued on February 27th, 2026. The system, known as “Sirena” (Système d’Information Réclamations National), is a key component of the “Bien Vieillir” (Well Aging) law enacted on April 8th, 2024.
The decree establishes the legal framework for the new system, which will consolidate complaints and reports of maltreatment filed by users of health, social, and medico-social services. Article 13 of the “Bien Vieillir” law mandated the creation of such a system to “facilitate the monitoring, evaluation and processing” of reports, and to enable statistical analysis of the data.
The rollout will initiate with a three-month pilot phase in the regions of Normandy, Île-de-France, and Occitanie, according to guidance issued by the Directorate-General for Social Cohesion (DGCS) to regional health agencies (ARS) on January 30th, 2026. Following the pilot, Sirena will be deployed nationwide.
The law aims to prevent loss of autonomy, combat isolation among the elderly and disabled, improve the reporting of abuse, and ease the workload of home care aides. It too includes provisions relating to nursing homes (Ehpad) and inclusive housing. A national conference on autonomy will be held at least every three years, bringing together experts, associations, and elected officials to develop solutions to prevent loss of autonomy.
The “Bien Vieillir” law also establishes departmental public autonomy services (SPDA), intended to function as single points of contact for elderly or disabled individuals seeking essential services. During periods of extreme weather, such as heatwaves, municipalities will be able to directly contact vulnerable individuals, leveraging data from assistance programs, unless those individuals have opted out.
A separate component of the law, established by decree n° 2024-754 on July 7th, 2024, concerns financial aid for adapting housing for seniors. This aid is currently being tested in ten departments and is scheduled to continue through the complete of 2026.
The April 8th, 2024 law also created a national registry of protective measures for vulnerable adults, expected to be operational by the end of 2026. The law establishes a unit within each regional health agency (ARS) responsible for collecting, monitoring, and processing reports of abuse against adults vulnerable due to age or disability.
