The department has eight specialised residential resources and therapeutic programmes for minors in the protection and juvenile justice systems, as announced by the councillor Candelaria Delgado in Parliament.
The councillor for Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families of the Government of the Canary Islands, Candelaria Delgado, detailed this Thursday in Parliament the set of resources that her department allocates to the mental health of the most vulnerable minors. Specifically, the department has eight specialised residential centres for children and adolescents who are under the protection system or are subject to juvenile justice measures.
Delgado explained that specialised healthcare corresponds to the Canary Health Service, but that her department ensures early detection of needs, support, and coordination among the educational, social, and health sectors. "Our commitment is to continue strengthening specialisation, prevention, and early detection to ensure that each minor receives the care they need, always prioritising the best interests of the child," she emphasised.
The eight residential resources are aimed at minors with behavioural and psychosocial support needs or situations of special complexity. They have specialised educational teams, individualised programmes, and a multidisciplinary committee that analyses each case and coordinates intervention with Mental Health and Addiction services when necessary. Additionally, the centres maintain referral and follow-up protocols with child and youth mental health services to tailor care to each minor.
In the field of juvenile justice, the Canary Youth Ideo Foundation manages the educational internment centres of La Montañeta and Valle Tabares, where specific therapeutic programmes are developed for minors with severe mental disorders, intellectual disabilities, or addiction problems. These centres have authorised units for General Health Psychology and, in the internment resources, also for General and Family Medicine, Nursing, and Psychiatry.
For minors who are subject to measures in an open environment, the department offers outpatient treatment programmes that allow for psychological and medical care without internment. The Ideo Foundation has psychologists on all the islands where there are users, who design individualised therapeutic programmes and carry out continuous follow-up.
Delgado recalled that since 2012 there has been a collaboration agreement between the departments of Health and Social Welfare that facilitates specialised diagnoses, therapeutic and pharmacological follow-up, and continuity of care once judicial measures are completed. This coordination aims to ensure a comprehensive response for the most vulnerable minors in the archipelago.
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