The Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday, at the proposal of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption, and Agenda 2030, the transfer of 198.7 million euros to the governments of the autonomous communities (except the Basque Country and Navarre) and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla to strengthen social services, finance programs for the protection of vulnerable families, and to address child poverty.
During the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, stated that these actions should aim to improve the situation of the most vulnerable families and those with specific protection needs, such as single-parent families, large families, or families living in rural areas.
With this objective, the budget includes 65 million euros specifically allocated to social intervention projects and benefits for families at risk of poverty.
Likewise, these funds can be used to cover basic needs such as hygiene or the purchase of food and clothing; to finance educational needs, such as buying school supplies or meal assistance, as well as aid to pay for rent or basic household supplies, among others.
Another goal is to facilitate the balance between family and work life for the most vulnerable families by funding projects that cover expenses related to childcare facilities and support for specific care needs that children and adolescents from these families require.
The Ministry of Social Rights cites the VECA program as an example, which allows them to participate in educational, cultural, and leisure activities during school holidays. Additionally, programs will be funded to ensure that these children have access to a balanced, healthy, and nutritious diet even when they do not attend school cafeterias.
Similarly, within the aid package, 25 million euros are reserved to strengthen social services teams responsible for preventing and detecting any type of child violence risk, an initiative that falls within the framework of the Organic Law for the comprehensive protection of childhood and adolescence against violence (LOPIVI).
On the other hand, 108.7 million euros are allocated to finance the primary care social services network of local authorities, including services such as home care and support for household units, as well as other areas of social services such as preventing social exclusion of families with fewer resources and the integration of those in need.
The distribution proposal of this investment has been informed by the Territorial Council for Social Services and the System for Autonomy and Care for Dependence and will be definitively approved by this same Council soon, after obtaining the initial approval this Tuesday, as indicated by Social Rights.
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