The assessment was delivered today by the president of the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and Protection of Children and Youth (CNPDPCJ), who was heard by the parliamentary committees on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, and on Labor, Social Security and Inclusion.
During the hearing, requested by the Socialist Party (PS) on the operational difficulties of the Commissions for the Protection of Children and Youth, Ana Isabel Valente began by explaining that the new guidelines for the allocation of teachers did not undermine the representation of the Ministry of Education.
Last year, the Ministry of Education was represented in 305 out of 313 commissions, and despite the new rules, which required teachers from subjects and areas with greater needs to return to schools, 172 have remained in their roles.
The remaining 133, mostly from the first cycle and special education, were not reconducted, but the vast majority have already been replaced, according to the president of the CNPDPCJ, who downplayed the impact of the measure.
The Ministry of Education decided to change the rules for assigning teachers to the CPCJ and ended statutory mobility for these roles. Feedback from various commissions was unanimous: there was a lack of organization, and the measure could impact youths and children.
Márcia Guímaro Rodrigues | 09:05 – 25/09/2025
“No teacher stays more than three years in the CPCJ because they only have one term. This was a more abrupt replacement, but it has been resolved now, and there are only 10 vacancies left,” stated Ana Isabel Valente, adding that the national commission is monitoring the situations in question, in coordination with the Directorate-General for School Establishments.
Moreover, the official assured that the process supervision is not weakened and that the new Ministry of Education representatives—all teachers, although the law does not require it—receive training when they assume their roles.
Nevertheless, during the hearing where she also presented the conclusions of the 2024 annual report on CPCJ activities, Ana Isabel Valente emphasized that the commissions face various challenges daily.
“The system indeed ensures the best interests of the child, but it needs to be strengthened and fortified by addressing asymmetries and danger situations that were different 20 years ago,” she argued.
Specifically, she cited examples of danger situations related to new technologies, such as digital violence or the exchange of sexually suggestive messages with minors, with which CPCJ professionals struggle to deal.
“We are studying the best way to strengthen and fortify the system,” she added.
