The Government of Navarre on 4 September 2026 established the Servicio de Reagrupación Familiar y Duelo Migratorio (SERFAM) as a public service of the Dirección General de Políticas Migratorias . The move follows several years in which the service was developed and piloted in cooperation with the Asociación SEI Elkartea . The responsible vice-president and Minister for Housing, Youth and Migration Policy, Begoña Alfaro, presented the framework.
The service is aimed at families who resume living together after long separations through Reagrupación Familiar , as well as relatives experiencing duelo migratorio . Its aim is to strengthen bonds, reduce the risk of breakdown, and promote the educational and social integration of children and young people. According to the government, 376 families comprising more than 1,100 people received support in 2025; a further 205 families are reported for January to June 2026.
A four-year public contract is planned, with a total net value of €983,297.80. Services are to be offered throughout Navarra, combining family therapy, socio-educational support and mediation with close links to local social, health and education services. It will also include a preventive “Pre-Encuentro” phase, in which expectations and potential areas of conflict are addressed before relatives arrive through family reunification. According to the government, Asociación SEI Elkartea, which has developed the service to date in cooperation with the Gobierno de Navarra will remain involved.
The service’s formal establishment follows recognition that the challenges of reconnecting after separation and losses associated with migration often accumulate and can affect educational attainment, mental health and opportunities to participate. The new structure is intended to make support more consistent and uniformly accessible across the region. The Dirección General de Políticas Migratorias points to existing links with local teams and region-wide programmes.
On Wednesday, the government provided no detailed information on staffing levels, the regional distribution of services or a systematic evaluation of their impact beyond 2025. The public service status and multi-year funding framework now approved nevertheless mark a shift from one-off project phases to a permanent, standard structure in Navarra.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).