- The Council of Ministers approves to transfer nearly EUR 200 million to the CAAC regional governments. The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 agreed a line of credit with the regional governments to protect families and address child poverty, endowed in the budgets with 198.704,000 euros
- The agreement approved by the Council of Ministers must be definitively approved by the Territorial Council to be effective
July 2, 2024.- The Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, has authorized the distribution of 7,025,289 euros to the Region of Murcia for the protection of families and the fight against child poverty.
The Government approved on Tuesday the agreement authorizing the proposal of territorial distribution between autonomous communities of the credit for the funding in 2024 of the Protection of Families and Attention to Child Poverty program. This is a line of credit managed by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 through the General Directorate of Family Diversity and Social Services. This year, after the extension of the General Budgets of the State, this loan will have an amount close to 200 million euros (198,704,000 €) and will be distributed and transferred to the Autonomous Communities (with the exception of the Basque Country and Navarre) and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla so that they can execute it by virtue of their competences in social services.
The ministry led by Pablo Bustinduy agreed with the regional governments to distribute these almost 200 million euros, and has reaffirmed its commitment to continue increasing the budget allocation for this area in the following years. "Our road map is to resume the increase in funding that the coalition government initiated in this area," said Pablo Bustinduy. The minister also stressed that this figure that has been extended is the highest that has been given in this area, although he has assured that it is necessary to continue increasing this budget allocation “to face the challenges that our country has in the protection of families and children.”
The agreement authorized in the Council of Ministers was previously addressed by the Plenary of the Territorial Council of Social Services and System for Autonomy and Care of the Unit, at its meeting of June 17, 2024. Once approved by the Government of Spain, this agreement will return to the Territorial Council so that it is approved and can be effective.
Three programs managed by the autonomous governments
Three fundamental programs for the Basic Benefits of Social Services that are managed by the autonomous governments depend on this credit:
1. The first program is endowed with more than 108 million euros, of which the Region of Murcia corresponds to 3,499,905 euros. It funds social services projects to develop basic services at the municipal level such as home help, alternative housing, prevention and social inclusion.
2. The second program has a financing of 65 million euros, of which 2,685,384 euros for the Region of Murcia. It focuses on the protection of the family and attention to child poverty, specifically to family units with dependent children who are in a situation of severe material deprivation or risk of poverty and social exclusion. The program includes a line to cofinance food, leisure and cultural projects, and to ensure family reconciliation during school holidays. In this way, initiatives developed by autonomous communities and municipalities will be strengthened.
3. The third programme, with a budget of 25 million euros, of which 840,000 euros are for the Region of Murcia, is aimed at strengthening primary care teams to provide comprehensive protection for children and adolescents against violence. It is about cofinancing projects to strengthen social services that allow the prevention and early detection of possible risks of violence towards children, in line with the provisions of the Organic Law on the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence approved in 2021.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Social Rights establishes that the territorial distribution of funds is carried out according to various criteria disaggregated in the agreement, such as the population of each territory, its area or the AROPE rate (which measures the risk of poverty or exclusion). This year, with the extension of the budgets, the territorial distribution that has been proposed is identical to that of 2023. In this regard, Pablo Bustinduy stressed that the objective of budgetary increase "tries to correct the historical underfunding that this system has had and that was aggravated in the last decade with the cuts". Likewise, the minister recalled the necessary commitment on the part of the autonomous governments to maintain their investment in Social Services and called on all administrations and parties "a State policy that builds broad consensus to shield resources and avoid new cuts".