Skip to main content
Didac Sanchez Foundation
What we do

Residences and Minor Centers

The United Nations General Assembly approved in 2010 (during its 64th session) the resolution "Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children".

Article 5 of these guidelines delimits the responsibility of states regarding children in a state of helplessness: "When the child's own family cannot, even with appropriate support, provide due care for the child, or when it abandons or relinquishes custody, the State is responsible for protecting the rights of the child and providing appropriate alternative care, with the competent local public entities or duly authorized civil society organizations, or through them. It is the State's responsibility, through its competent authorities, to ensure the supervision of the safety, welfare and development of every child in alternative care and the periodic review of the suitability of the care modality adopted."

The Guidelines make clear that separation from their family, in general, and residential care in particular, should be an exceptional and temporary measure. Thus, in article 14 they indicate that "the separation of the child from his own family should be considered as a last resort and, if possible, be temporary and for the shortest possible time"; and in 21, that "recourse to residential care should be limited to cases where such an environment is specifically appropriate, necessary and constructive for the child concerned and is in his or her best interests".

The United Nations goes further and recommends, in article 23 of the mentioned Guidelines, the progressive elimination of care centers: "Although it is recognized that residential care facilities and family foster care are complementary modalities for meeting the needs of children, where large residential care centers (institutions) still exist, alternatives should be developed in the context of a comprehensive deinstitutionalization strategy, with specific goals and objectives, that allow their progressive elimination."

Residential care is used more than family foster care

Despite the fact that it is already clear that residential care should be considered a provisional measure, and that in the most advanced countries in the European Union in terms of childhood policies family foster care predominates over residential care, today it is the most used resource. Statistical data regarding residential care are not sufficiently precise or complete. However, several approximations allow us to affirm that we are far from overcoming the frequent use of residential care.

Required training

The Dídac Sánchez Foundation will permanently verify that minor centers and residences have the following training:

  • Have a global educational project.
  • Require that each minor in residential care have their own individualized educational intervention project.
  • Have professional educators with a minimum of 4 years of experience in other minor centers or residences.
  • Professional educators must not have a criminal record, request a copy of criminal records.
  • The management of economic resources by the state to these minor centers and residences must allocate 70% to improving the quality of life of admitted minors and 30% for salary, structure or other expenses.
  • Annual accounts presented by residences and minor centers must be audited by external advisors.
  • Verbal treatment towards minors will always be respectful and verbal or physical force will not be used towards any minor.
  • Have external educational projects for professional preparation for the working world.
  • Food delivery and diet control in minors.
  • Receive the minor and facilitate their integration into the reference group.
  • Participate in the initial evaluation of the minor and their family.
  • Participate in the preparation and monitoring of the minor's individualized educational project.
  • Attend and supervise the minor.
  • Provide concrete responses to the needs of each minor and create appropriate channels to compensate and satisfy their personal, family and social limitations.
  • Carry out the activities that correspond according to the intervention plan designed in order to achieve its objectives.
  • Offer the minor an environment that gives them welcome, security and affection.
  • Help discover and develop their physical, intellectual and emotional capacities, favoring their growth and maturation.
  • Act as a tutor or guide to the minor.
  • Support and guide the family in the socializing and educational task of their children.
  • Collaborate and coordinate with other professionals involved in care.
  • Prepare reports and documents derived from their professional work.
  • Promote the insertion of the minor in society, in a responsible and constructive way, fostering relationships of coexistence, solidarity, tolerance and democratic attitudes.
  • Participate in the evaluation of the results achieved by the minor and their family, in the evaluation of the intervention plan and the residential care program.
  • Contribute to decision-making that affects the minor and their family, providing their knowledge and perspective.
  • Use community resources for the benefit of the minor and family care.
  • Plan and carry out educational, recreational and guidance tasks necessary for the development of the residential care program.
  • The night educator, when existing, must attend to possible incidents that occur during night hours: administration of care to sick minors; application of necessary measures to safeguard nighttime rest, attention, if applicable, to possible nighttime admissions, following established regulations and completion of incident records as established.
  • Prepare the minor for leaving the home.