Briefing
The Generalitat de Catalunya has stated that its Departament de Drets Socials confirmed that in June 2026 a total of 545 children and young people aged up to 17 with a positive recommendation for placement with foster families were still living in residential care. According to the administration, this means around 400 additional families willing to take children in are needed to move these minors into family care.
Very young children are particularly affected: according to the figures, 184 children under six. Professionals and organisations stress that early placement with a foster family can be crucial for attachment, school integration and mental health. The Generalitat therefore identifies as priorities strengthening awareness campaigns, offering accessible initial advice to interested people, speeding up suitability assessments and expanding support for existing foster families, for example through training and supervision.
Representatives of organisations such as the Asociación de Familias de Acogida de Barcelona (Afabar) describe the practical obstacles: information sessions often generate interest, but the formal admission procedure is rarely started. Inma Espín, Afabar’s president, cites a lack of understanding of the model and confusion with adoption as recurring problems. Support, transparent information about rights and responsibilities, and reliable guidance from specialist services are seen as key factors in encouraging more households to take part.
Political and professional debates in Catalonia highlight the structural problem: a persistent shortage of foster places leads to longer stays in residential care, which experts believe can have negative effects on psychosocial development. It remains unclear whether the announced measures will be enough in the short term to bridge the gap of around 400 families . What is clear, however, is that without additional, suitably qualified households willing to take children in, it will be difficult to reduce the number of tutelary minors with a positive placement recommendation who continue to live in residential homes.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).