Catalonia foster care initiatives are showing measurable progress as new figures reveal 266 children under five remain in residential care centres across the region.
This represents a reduction of 14 children compared to November 2024 figures, indicating positive movement toward the government’s strategic goals for child welfare.
Catalonia Foster Care Strategy Gains Momentum
The Generalitat approved a €2.3 million strategic plan last year specifically designed to increase foster family placements for children under six in state care.
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According to data from the Department of Social Rights and Inclusion, 163 of the 266 children currently in centres already have foster family applications in progress. Furthermore, an additional 227 children are already living with foster families across Catalonia.
Current statistics show 757 active foster families in the autonomous community, slightly below the 787 recorded a year ago. However, Social Rights Councillor Mònica Martínez Bravo has identified 1,400 foster families as the ideal target, acknowledging this represents an “ambitious” goal that requires continued effort and investment.
Meanwhile, the regional government continues to address broader social challenges through initiatives like the Catalan language promotion subsidies and economic development programmes.
The department has provided a globally “positive” assessment of the current strategy. Significant improvements include reinforced teams to reduce processing times, external support for children’s identification documentation, and better coordination between visiting monitoring teams. Additionally, the government has approved foster care deductions in the autonomous section of income tax and is working on legislative changes specifically designed to benefit foster families.
In May 2022, both autonomous communities and the national government committed to ensuring no children would live in care centres by 2026. The Conselleria describes this as “a legal mandate” and an administrative challenge they are actively working toward. The original deinstitutionalisation strategy for children under six designed in November 2024 continues to prioritise family foster care promotion as its central focus.
This progress in Catalonia foster care arrangements reflects broader regional efforts to improve social services and community support systems. The reduction in centre placements, while modest, demonstrates tangible steps toward ensuring more children experience family-based care environments.
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