The first investigation carried out by the Sindicatura de Greuges, the Department of Sociology of the University of Alicante, 109 City Councils and 11 Associations has put on the table the social reality and the administrative difficulties to account for and address risk situations in childhood and adolescence. in the Valencian Community. This work also alerts to the existence that there are 408 minors declared in a situation of helplessness - cases in which the severity of the lack of protection continues to be high and the lack of collaboration persists, for which the Generalitat assumes the guardianship of the minors.
In his report, which was opened ex officio in June 2022, the Valencian ombudsman, Ángel Luna, discredits the Department of Inclusive Policies - the last legislature had its pluses and minuses with the department led by Mónica Oltra and Aitana Mas - that there is no common action protocol or consensus or technical coordination on how to proceed in each step of the intervention of minors at risk." The conclusions warn that "today the work of municipal social services is not homogeneous and "There are a variety of ways to define and address the declaration of a risk situation."
And the Ombudsman of Greuges makes it clear that "the Department cannot evade the responsibility of obtaining the necessary data to advance the unified design of actions to prevent and care for children and adolescents who may be at risk, arguing that "The competence in this intervention corresponds to local entities." Given this situation, the Ombudsman recommends that he assume the responsibility of also obtaining data on the interventions of municipal social services.
Despite only having official data provided by the Department of Inclusive Policies, the work indicates that the number of children and adolescents served by the Specific Teams for Intervention with Children and Adolescents (EEIIA) in the Valencian Community (2021) amounts to 12,885 (6,607 men and 6,278 women). By provinces, 1,916 in Castellón; 3,550 in Alicante and 7,419 in Valencia.
Of the 12,885 children assessed as being at risk and referred to the aforementioned EEIIA, 616 minors had been declared at risk, of which 328 were men and 288 were women. By provinces, 86 in Castellón; 134 in Alicante; and 396 in Valencia.
The document continues to assess the different degrees of vulnerability and points out that of those 616 minors declared at risk, the majority of cases (408, 90%) have been declared in a situation of helplessness.
Finally, the Sindicatura de Greuges highlights the general absence of programs for attention to cases of prenatal risk in the group of municipalities and associations contemplated. Absence is especially high in all municipalities with fewer than 35,000 inhabitants. This attention - knowing the parents' previous situation - should serve to avoid, subsequently, a possible declaration of a risk situation or helplessness of the newborn.
