Social support for children and young people at risk

There are numerous integrated forms of care and social support available for children and young people at risk.

The aim is to promote the rights of children and young people at risk and protect them, providing them with a safe, family-oriented environment, as well as with healthcare, training, education, well-being and the possibility to develop to their full potential.

The information in this section is organised as follows:

• Centre for Family Support and Parental Counselling (CAFAP)
• Street Children and Youth Support Team
• Family caregiving
• Shelters

Find out more about how to get social support for children and young people at risk.

A specialised support service for families with children and young people, assisting families in developing parental, personal and social skills to prevent and remedy situations of psychological and social risk.

The objectives of this service include promoting positive parenting and teaching quality dynamics in family relationships, to encourage the reintegration of the child or young person into the family environment.

This is a service that supports children and young people engaging in troublesome behaviour.

The objectives of this service include getting children and young people off the streets by encouraging them to create a healthy life project, promoting their reintegration into their family, school or the community and preventing drug addiction, the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and other troublesome behaviours, as well as meeting their basic needs in terms of food, hygiene, health and clothing.

Family caregiving consists of assigning a child or young person to an individual or family, qualified for this purpose, in order to allow the child or young person to integrate into a stable family environment that ensures the appropriate care is provided for their needs and well-being, along with the education and emotional support needed for them to develop to their full potential.

Residential care is available for children and young people at risk, up to the age of 18, for whom the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People or the Court applies a residential care promotion and protection measure.

These shelters and social support homes are set up to deal with cases involving the removal or withdrawal of the child or young person from a dangerous situation, and may consist of residences and/or specialised residential units adapted to the specific circumstances of the children and young people being taken in.