A roughly 100-page report on scandals surrounding the Generalitat’s Directorate-General for Child and Adolescent Care (DGAIA) won approval in the Catalan Parliament on 22 July 2026, shortly before the summer recess. The conclusions acknowledged management problems but assigned no political responsibility. The Socialists (PSC), Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Comuns backed the report; Junts rejected it. The vote left a clear distinction between recognizing administrative deficiencies and holding political leaders responsible.
The DGAIA has faced intense scrutiny during the current legislative term over two major concerns. One involved a minor under the agency’s protection who suffered sexual exploitation between 2020 and 2022, raising questions about its protection and supervision mechanisms. The other focused on alleged irregularities in outsourcing and contracting services for children in state care, including concerns about planning and oversight, as well as procurement controls. The Catalan audit office, the Sindicatura de Comptes de Catalunya, and the parliamentary inquiry examined these issues as part of a broader review of care provision and contracted-service management.
Although the parliamentary majority reportedly incorporated around 75% of Junts’ proposals, the party’s representatives argued that the inquiry failed to meet its objectives. Junts deputy Enatu Domingo accused the majority of using the report to “cover up their own failings” and criticized its failure to address political responsibility for planning failures and irregularities in service provision. She also cited the recent resignation of Mònica Martínez Bravo, the former minister responsible for the department, as a factor contributing to instability. Martínez Bravo left office on 20 July for personal reasons, two days before the vote.
During the debate, Raúl Moreno, Martínez Bravo’s former deputy and the department’s new head, was present as the leadership transition coincided with the inquiry’s conclusion. The department is also preparing to change the DGAIA into the Directorate-General for the Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents (DGPPIA). The planned reorganization puts institutional continuity and reform implementation on the new leadership’s agenda.
The Comuns backed the final conclusions while distancing themselves from parts of the report. Their representatives said the child-protection system had operated in a state of “permanent emergency” for more than a decade and criticized the scale of outsourcing and the adequacy of public oversight. They argued that chronic understaffing and low pay have contributed to high turnover among frontline professionals, affecting children in care. Comuns deputy Núria Lozano described the report as more diagnostic than transformative and said it fell short of ensuring minors’ rights.
Other parties, including CUP, Vox, PP and Aliança Catalana, also voted against the report, for different reasons. The two far-right parties rejected recommendations for improvement and described the commission’s work as a “charade” that masks the impact of immigration on resources for vulnerable Spanish children. CUP’s Pilar Castillejos criticized the rejection of her proposal for an external audit and a deeper investigation into certain social organizations. PP spokesperson Lorena Roldán specifically named Fundación Mercè Fontanilles and Fundació Resilis as entities warranting further scrutiny.
PSC deputy Mónica Ríos defended the commission’s work, saying it had made Parliament more aware of the DGAIA’s weaknesses and strengths. She said the report avoided simplistic conclusions and sought to identify root causes that could guide future reforms. The final vote nevertheless closed the inquiry without establishing political responsibility, despite acknowledging management problems.
The challenges facing child-protection services in Spain extend beyond Catalonia. In Madrid, for example, the specialized juvenile violence court has struggled with a backlog of thousands of cases because of staff shortages and limited resources, as detailed in a recent report on Madrid’s overwhelmed youth court. These problems reflect broader difficulties in safeguarding vulnerable minors across the country.
Spain’s child-protection system relies heavily on regional agencies such as the DGAIA, which handle preventive and emergency interventions. The Catalan inquiry highlighted the challenge of balancing urgent care needs with resource constraints and political oversight. Its conclusions recognized administrative problems, but assigned no political liability. Questions remain about how the planned reorganization into the DGPPIA and any recommendations will change oversight and services.
