In 2015, the political parties reached an almost historic agreement on child protection: that children as young as six should not grow up in homes, but in families (either their own, those of their relatives or strangers ), in which they receive this personalized attention, full of affection and values, which they all need to develop. It was an almost historic rule because it left the window open for the autonomous communities, which are the ones that have the competences in terms of social services, to adapt the time to promote family care. But time passed and, given the evidence that the law was not and would not be enforced, a new commitment was signed in 2022 to ensure that these children grow up in a family environment. The result? That the number of children under the age of six in homes has grown compared to 2021 to reach 1,068, of which 557 are babies, 11% more than the previous year.
According to the latest data compiled by the State Association of Foster Care (Aseaf), corresponding to December 31, 2022, the majority of communities are in breach of the 2015 law and adhere to the plan signed in 2022 ( Action Plan against the sexual exploitation of girls, boys and adolescents in the child protection system), which gives a deadline to achieve residences without young children before the end of 2026 (and no children younger than ten by 2031).
Only two communities comply with the standard, Aragon and Cantabria, while the rest continue to house children in residences where, despite the attention of professionals, it is almost impossible to give them all they require, especially the emotional ones.
And the communities that are clearly in breach of the 2015 law? In the lead, once again, Catalonia, with 263 (24% of the total number of minors taken into care in its territory), of which 167 are babies under three years old. These children represent 30% of minors who live institutionalized throughout Spain, Aseaf points out.
It is followed by Andalusia with 172 (16%) and Madrid with 118 (11%). “Although the Principality of Asturias also draws particular attention, where on December 31, 2022 there were 78 children under the age of 6 in residential care that represent 22% of the total of 348 minors growing up in centres, well above the national average, which stands at 6%”, they point out to Aseaf.
The lack of foster families is one of the reasons why children in a situation of helplessness enter shelters. This is, at least, what the autonomous communities wield. Although childhood experts say that if you work on this, there is no shortage of foster families. But that is why it is necessary to invest in informing and raising citizens’ awareness. “There are many people who are willing to open their home to a child, to give them love and affection, to raise them and help them to face the tough situations they are in”, point out the experts in this field.
But, in addition, it does not make sense from an economic point of view either, since a place in a children’s center costs around 3,000 euros a month, which is roughly what a host family receives per year . “There is no explanation except that it is much more convenient for them to put a child in a residence than to look for a host family. Finding families involves action and putting plans in motion, however, putting them in residences is a quick action”, points out Adriana de la Osa, project coordinator of the State Association of Family Fostering, an organization that has been fighting for decades to reduce the institutionalization of children due to the serious consequences of living in this environment.
The objective set (in theory) by the Spanish Government and the autonomous communities is to “deinstitutionalise” services for minors (including those in dependency) and put an end to “institutional culture”.
According to the State Strategy for the Rights of Children and Adolescents 2023-2030, the aim is to eradicate impersonal institutions, which “impose a rigid routine, separate people from the rest of the community, attachment and affection they are limited, they do not allow the care and personalized attention essential for childhood development, nor do they offer the sufficient and appropriate psychosocial treatment that a boy or girl who has suffered violence or abandonment needs. How does living in a residential center affect? Growing up in an institution doubly affects the well-being and development of childhood. “On the one hand, the very dynamics of the institutional culture have a negative impact on children and, on the other hand, the reparation of the harm suffered prior to institutionalization requires emotionally available reference attachment figures that develop better in a family environment compared to an institutional one”, this strategy points out.
In addition, it adversely affects the psychological, emotional and physical development of childhood, including attachment disorders, cognitive and developmental delays, and a lack of social skills that then imply multiple disadvantages and vulnerabilities during adult life. “Childhood in institutions, as in other environments, also suffers from violence, institutionalization helps to reproduce the cycle of violence: institutionalized boys and girls are more likely to be victims of violence, to be aggressors or to harm themselves ”, says the strategy. Almost 1,100 children under the age of 6 currently live in residential centers.
