The Department of Social Rights and Inclusion is calling for 400 new foster families to join its care programme, aiming to nearly double the current network of 886 families. The move is intended to ensure more children under the guardianship of the Generalitat can grow up in family environments rather than residential centres.

Currently, around 260 children aged between 0 and 6 are in state care, with 115 under three years old. Minister Raúl Moreno stressed the importance of placing these children in family settings as early as possible, stating: "It is better for their life project to live in a family environment than to live institutionalized."

Personal Stories of Foster Families

Xavi Mallorquí and Núria Bustamante, a couple from Catalonia, began foster care three years ago by welcoming a two-year-old child into their home, alongside their two biological children. "The first few months were very difficult," Bustamante recalled. The child initially struggled with coexistence, but over time the family adapted. "It served us all to learn many things," said Mallorquí.

Núria Codina, who started foster care alone over six years ago, took in a four-year-old girl during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We had no other option but to bond," she said with irony. Codina described the journey as "difficult, but beautiful," and emphasized that she does not replace the child’s biological mother: "She has a biological mother and a mother of the heart."

Government Measures to Expand Foster Care

The Generalitat acknowledges that the number of foster families is increasing only slowly despite high demand. To address this, it is expanding the network of Visiting Spaces for Children and Adolescents (EIVA) and developing a new decree to streamline the foster care application process, according to information from eb.gencat.cat.

These efforts were discussed at the III Conference on Foster Families, held on Saturday 24th October 2026 in Cabrera de Mar, Maresme. The event brought together current foster families to share experiences and promote improvements to the system.

"It is better for their life project to live in a family environment than to live institutionalized," said Minister Raúl Moreno.

Families interested in fostering can find official procedures and application details on the Generalitat’s foster care portal, which outlines eligibility, assessment, and support available.

Sources: La Ciutat.