Malaga province foster programme overwhelmed by increase in children in need of care

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The regional government has issued an SOS to the people of Malaga province, seeking foster homes for 54 vulnerable children

Susana Zamora

Malaga.

Friday, 10 April 2026, 11:16

The regional government has issued an SOS to the people of Malaga province, seeking foster homes for 54 vulnerable children. The foster care system is currently under pressure following a significant rise in the number of minors requiring protection, a figure that has climbed to 932 in the province - up from 650 prior to the pandemic.

While nearly 60 per cent of these children are already living with families, 286 remain in residential protection centres. A historical goal for social workers is to ensure that no child under the age of 13 is living in a centre by 2030, yet the current reality remains far from this objective.

According to Ruth Sarabia, the Junta de Andalucía's delegate for Social Inclusion in Malaga, the pandemic marked a turning point. Since then, authorities have detected a significant spike in mental health problems among teenagers, reflected in school absenteeism and addictions. Furthermore, Malaga province's foreign population has grown by 30 per cent since 2019, changing the profiles of children in the system.

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