The latest report from the National Mechanism for Prevention (MNP), integrated within the Ombudsman’s office, reveals a significant increase in the number of young people affected by the Promotion and Protection System measures before entering educational centers, especially in specialized residential units.
The “Thematic Report on Specialized Care for Children and Youth — 2025,” released today on Universal Children’s Day, indicates that from 2016 to 2021, the percentage of young people in this situation rose from 63% to between 78% and 82%.
After a drop related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend rose again, reaching a new high of 90% in December 2023.
Although they represent only about 1% of the total 5,605 young individuals housed in residential contexts, cases followed by the five specialized units across the country involve greater vulnerability, with complex mental health issues and histories of domestic violence or neglect.
In the specialized residential units located in Lisbon, Montemor-o-Novo, Coimbra, Porto, and Gondomar, visited for the report, the MNP identified a total of 61 young people, aged between 12 and 25 years.
The majority of the housed young individuals were girls (41), and 10 showed mental health conditions considered “very complex.” Eight cases were identified with a profile associated with aggressive behaviors.
Prolonged accommodation beyond the age of 18, due to lack of family support or severe pathologies, was identified in 10% of the analyzed cases — six young individuals.
Among the highlighted factors for the increasing numbers are the failures in interinstitutional coordination, compromising the “effectiveness of the promotion and protection measures” for children and youth, exposing them “to increased risks.”
The MNP observed that some young people, after completing measures in educational centers, return to institutional solutions due to a lack of alternatives and family support, reiterating that “accommodation should always be a measure of last resort.”
In light of the worsening situation, the report presents 19 strategic recommendations to strengthen the coordination between the promotion and protection system and the juvenile educational system, as well as to ensure integrated responses in the areas of Social Security, Health, Justice, and Education.
The document emphasizes strengthening collaboration between the juvenile justice, promotion and protection systems, and health, alongside increasing specialized responses in mental health and family support for at-risk youth.
The analysis of these pathways shows that institutional trajectories tend to repeat among the most vulnerable youth, highlighting the urgency for integrated policies that halt the cycle of social exclusion and ensure more effective responses in accommodation and reintegration.
The “Thematic Report on Specialized Care for Children and Youth — 2025” is presented nearly a year after the MNP began visits for the first time to the five dedicated residential units in the country for children and youth with intensive educational and therapeutic needs.
The fieldwork began in December 2024, focusing on a thorough analysis of the reality lived in these structures and aiming to identify challenges and opportunities to improve response to these particularly complex cases.
In addition to the visits, three working meetings were also held between the MNP and the Governing Board of the Institute of Social Security (ISS).
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