It is among all the rumors, the one that comes back persistently. Sarah El Haïry, former Minister Delegate in charge of Children, Youth and Families in the Attal government, could well be drafted after the appointment of the Bayrou government and take over the High Commission for Children. The announcement of the creation of this position was made by Emmanuel Macron on December 28, after criticism from child protection associations over the absence of a dedicated ministry. The position is mainly administrative, but the future high commissioner will be able to participate in the Council of Ministers when subjects concerning them are discussed.
The name of Sarah El Haïry was mentioned last week in The Chained Duckbut also last Friday in the Politico newsletter and by several of the sources interviewed by 20 Minutes. She is close to François Bayrou, also vice-president of Modem, the party created by the Prime Minister. She has the advantage of having an already well-rounded CV for her age since she has already been Secretary of State for Youth, then for Biodiversity, before becoming Minister Delegate for Children, Youth and Families . She also worked directly with Catherine Vautrin, the current Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families of France who brings childhood issues to the government.
A political communication tool?
Other names are still circulating, including that of Modem MP Perrine Goulet or the former Secretary of State responsible for child protection Adrien Taquet. “I think Martine Brousse (president of La Voix de l’Enfant) would be very good. She worked on Macron’s 2017 and 2022 campaigns. She is respected in the community,” advises Laurence Rossignol, senator and former minister of Families, Children and Women’s Rights.
What perimeter will this high commission have? It’s too early to tell, the office of Minister Catherine Vautrin tells us, who has already expressed her wish that this position “be as much in the strategy as in the implementation” and defends the idea that this position will allow more stability.
As for the associations and personalities involved in this subject, some are delighted, like Martine Brousse, who recalls on France Info that there have been four Ministers of Family and Children in one year. Others dismiss the idea that the instability comes from government censorship: “There was no follow-up on the policy of the first 1,000 days. It’s not because of censorship, it’s the changes of ministers with denominations that are not the same. There has been no continuity of state services since 2022,” criticizes socialist MP Isabelle Santiago, contacted by 20 Minutes.
Because the problem is not the creation of yet another institution, but rather the political will and the associated means, according to the MP: “We don’t need communication, we need actions that translate into budgets. If we want to be able to work on the issue of children in danger, we need a multi-year plan with a real vision and political weight. » “It’s going to be yet another spreading of resources, a new administrative pile-up”, also fears Arthur Melon, general delegate of the French Council of Associations for the Rights of the Child (COFRADE), on Europe 1. Fears that the new High Commissioner will have to defuse.
