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Spain

Country information

Spain

1. International Family Mediation

Family mediation, in Spain, is legally recognised.

Fundación ATYME is a private non-profit entity with recognition of public utility. The organisation aims to promote mediation and other peaceful methods of conflict resolution among the population (website is in Spanish).  You can contact headquarter directly here or their delegations in Salamanca, Tenerife, Toledo or Valencia.

International family mediation service is provided by CLAMíS which is an association offering advice to parents and other professionals in cases international child abduction (website is in Spanish).

1) Spain is a Party to the 1980 Hague Convention.

The 1980 Hague Convention: a multilateral treaty which provides procedural guidelines on the return of children and their protection in cases of international parental child abduction.

Contact the Central Authority established in Spain for cases of child abduction (operational languages: English and Spanish). 

2) Spain is a Party to the 1996 Hague Convention.

The 1996 Hague Convention: a multilateral treaty which determines jurisdiction, applicable law, co-operation in respect of parental responsibility and access rights, as well as civil and public measures for the protection or care of children. 

Contact the Central Authority established in Spain for cases of dispute concerning cross-border parental responsibilities and rights of contact with children. You can contact the Central Authority directly here (website is in Spanish).

3) Spain is a Party to the Brussels IIA Regulation.

Brussels IIA: a legal instrument of the European Union to help resolve family disputes involving more than one country, over divorce, all parental responsibilities and, in particular, the custody of children. Brussels IIA is a regulation applicable to all European Union Member states (except Denmark). The Regulation prevails over the 1996 Hague Convention in cases where the child’s habitual residence is within a European Union Member state (except Denmark). Please be aware that if a decision on access and/or custody rights is taken by a court from the European Union, the Regulation foresees that a State Party to the 1996 Hague Convention must recognise the court decision.

Contact the Central Authority established in Spain designated under the 1996 Hague Convention for cases of dispute concerning cross-border parental responsibilities and rights of contact with children. You can contact the Central Authority directly here (website is in Spanish).

You can determine whether countries relevant to your case are Parties, or not, to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, the 1996 Hague Convention on Child Protection and/or Brussels IIA (except Denmark) in order to locate the appropriate central authority. As for the 1980 Hague Convention, you can check whether the Convention is in force between two specific States in the Spreadsheet showing acceptances of accessions to the Child Abduction Convention.

The Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality has a list of Autonomous Agencies that provide a wide range of social services for families and children in every region of Spain (website is in Spanish).

Family Associations Union (UNAF) is a non-profit organisation working at the state level. You can contact them here if you need further information or if you need mediation for cases of separation or divorce, situations of risk or communication problems between families and schools of their children.

Support and Family Meeting Centers of the Madrid Community (CAEF) offer family meeting services, information, guidance and psychological care, family mediation and legal advice in Madrid (website is in Spanish).

Fundación MAPFRE is a non-profit institution which provides support to families with disabled members. You can choose one of their programmes here.

Fundación Amigo contributes to social and individual the transformation of the excluded and vulnerable persons, they work especially with the children and young in difficulty and their families (website is in Spanish). They also defend human rights and childhood by providing the socio-educational and psychosocial intervention. You can contact them directly here.

4. Child Welfare Services

The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) is a non-profit association of independent children’s rights institutions (click on Spain in the list of country-members).

Fundación Amigo contributes to the social and individual transformation of excluded and vulnerable persons. They work with families and children in difficulty (website is in Spanish). They also defend human rights by providing socio-educational and psychosocial intervention. You can contact them directly here.

The Spanish Red Cross (Cruz Roja Española), whose headquarters is located in Madrid, is an organisation that targets young vulnerable children at a national and international level, by working in the field of prevention, protection, rehabilitation and participation. The Spanish Red Cross also acts as a member of the International Social Service (ISS) network. They have specific working areas with children such as financial issues, family, school, environment, children protection, youth justice and health. You can contact them directly here or fill out their contact form (website is in Spanish).

EMIN is an interdisciplinary organisation that offers care in the superior interest of the child and teenager in different professional contexts: social, judicial, educative and sanitary (website is in Spanish). Professionals from different fields related to family (magistrates, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, etc.) collaborate with EMIN in order to provide child welfare service.

SOS Children's Villages in Spain offer Family Strengthening Programme which provides support to families with vulnerable children or at risk to prevent separation and loss of parental care, as well as family counselling and mediation, emotional and educational support, and child care. You can find an SOS Children’s Village in your region here on the right (website is in Spanish).

5. Support to Bi-National Couples, Cross-Cultural and Migrant Families

Caritas Spain is the official confederation of the social and charitable action organisations of the Catholic Church in Spain (website is in Spanish). At the national level, Caritas Spain focuses its efforts on social justice and integration, housing, health, unemployment, immigrants and research.

Fundación MigrAr was created by Spanish Red Cross in order to promote the full social, labour and cultural integration of migrants in Spain. You can find here a list of advisory services (e.g. information on the voluntary return, family reunification) or click on “Formula Tu Consulta” on the right in order to receive individual advice (website is in Spanish, but languages of communication are Spanish, French and English).

Some of the hyperlinks you will find in the texts of this section lead you to websites available only in the native language of the country chosen. Copy the URL-address and paste it in Google Translate, choose your language and click on “translate” to find the whole website available.