Statistical Data Bulletin on Child and Adolescent Protection Measures

First published as Bulletin number 0 in December 1998, it is an annual statistical publication dedicated to understanding the current situation of minors who have been assisted by the child protection system in Spain, as well as their temporal evolution.

The Bulletin collects all data communicated about child protection measures dictated by the different child and adolescent protection services of Autonomous Communities and the Cities of Ceuta and Melilla (hereinafter CCAA). The information contained complies with the regulatory framework determined by the Organic Law 1/1996, of January 15, on the Legal Protection of Minors, Organic Law 8/2015 and Law 26/2015, both of which amend the child and adolescent protection system, Law 54/2007 on international adoption, Regulation 573/2023 approving the International Adoption Regulation, and Organic Law 8/2021 on comprehensive protection of childhood and adolescence against violence. In addition to protection measures for children and adolescents, the Child and Adolescent Protection Measures Bulletin incorporates notifications of suspected abuse registered in the Unified Registry of Suspected Child Abuse Cases (RUMI) and data on international adoption (ADIN).

The processes developed under this regulatory framework in the area of protection can be summarized in the following chart:
Image with the diagram of the regulatory framework

The protection measures contemplated by the Law and for which the Statistical Bulletin currently offers data are: “ex lege” guardianships, custody, residential foster care, family foster care, national adoption, and international adoption, with different sections and breakdowns, including those related to age groups and basic types of protection centers, all with their temporal evolution and data comparison between CCAA. As a novelty, for the next year, 3 new sections will be introduced: post-care youth, specialized foster care, and typology of protection centers.

To collect this data from the protection system, an application is used, accessed by the Autonomous Communities and the Cities of Ceuta and Melilla, called BOLETINF. It is a web application in constant update, whose goal is to establish a homogeneous and minimal information system by the Autonomous Communities, in order to provide national statistical information regarding the protection system. Data entry is carried out by authorized representatives of the CCAA. The data collection methodology involves CCAA technicians completing questionnaires online through BOLETINF, from which the DGDIA obtains information about the protection system, supported, if necessary, by telephone calls for clarifications with these technicians.

It is worth mentioning that the statistics on child and adolescent protection measures have been included in the Statistical Operations Inventory of the National Statistics Institute since 2005, a fundamental instrument for coordination and statistical planning and the starting point for the formulation of the National Statistical Plan, as determined by the Higher Statistics Council in the meeting of the CSE Standing Committee on December 4, 2012.