Union Calls for Administrative Investigation into People&Baby

Paris – 28 July 2026: The SNPPE union for early childhood care professionals is calling for an administrative investigation into facilities operated by the private nursery group People&Baby. According to Franceinfo, the move follows the recent closure of two company nurseries where abuse is suspected. The union is demanding an official review that goes beyond clarifying individual allegations and also addresses potential structural problems.

Particular attention is focused on a micro-nursery in Plailly, in the Oise department. In March, a 21-month-old child required medical care after a day at the facility. According to the Senlis public prosecutor’s office, doctors found that the child had been exposed to alcohol. The hospital reported the case on 20 March, after which the parents filed a complaint.

The public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation against unknown persons in May. According to the status communicated at the time, numerous interviews and checks had been carried out; however, intentional conduct could not be established at that point. The investigation was still ongoing. How the alcohol entered the child’s body and who may have been responsible therefore remains unresolved under criminal law.

The facility concerned, the Les Petits Gaulois micro-nursery, was closed as a precaution. People&Baby described the incident in May as an isolated case and said that no other child had been affected. However, such a statement does not replace an official or judicial finding. Initially, no further details were available regarding the locations, timing or specific allegations related to the two additional closures now reported by Franceinfo.

The SNPPE had already pointed to safety gaps in the care of very young children in May, after the Plailly case became known. With its current demand, the union is now also calling on the state supervisory authorities to take action. An administrative investigation could examine working conditions, staffing levels, internal reporting channels and the operator’s monitoring procedures. It would be separate from the criminal investigation, which concerns individual responsibility for possible offences.

It was not known on Tuesday whether, or which, authority would initiate such an investigation. The union’s demand is initially a political and professional initiative, not an official decision. Nor does the closure of a facility in itself prove abuse; it may serve as a precautionary measure to protect children in care and ensure further reviews can take place.

For the families concerned, each closure also represents an immediate disruption: childcare is unavailable, alternative places must be found and working hours reorganized. At the same time, the different incidents must not be conflated. In the Plailly case, the Senlis public prosecutor’s office continues to investigate unknown persons; regarding the two most recent closures, neither specific allegations nor investigation findings have yet been made public.