Family Foster Care Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Acogimiento Familiar)

The Family Foster Care Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Acogimiento Familiar or Resolución de Acogimiento Familiar) is the formal legal instrument by which a public child protection authority (entidad pública de protección de menores) places a minor (menor) who has been separated from their family of origin (familia biológica) with a foster family (familia acogedora or acogedor/a), granting the foster family parental-like care responsibilities (obligaciones de velar, tener en compañía, alimentar, educar y procurar una formación integral al menor) while legal guardianship (tutela or guarda) remains with the entidad pública or, in certain modalities, with the foster family itself. The principal statutory basis is Article 172 bis of the Código Civil — introduced in its current form by the Ley 26/2015, de 28 de julio, de Modificación del Sistema de Protección a la Infancia y a la Adolescencia, and supplemented by Article 173 Código Civil (content of the acogimiento agreement), Article 173 bis (modalities of acogimiento familiar), the Ley Orgánica 1/1996, de 15 de enero, de Protección Jurídica del Menor (LOPJM), and the child protection legislation of each autonomous community.

The reform introduced by Ley 26/2015 and Ley Orgánica 8/2015 constituted the most significant overhaul of Spain's child protection system since the original LOPJM, strengthening the priority of family-based care over residential care (acogimiento residencial) in line with Spain's international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos del Niño — CNUDN, ratified by Spain in 1990) and the Council of Europe's Guidelines on Child-Friendly Justice. The reforms established the principle that no minor under the age of three (and, as of Ley Orgánica 8/2021, under the age of six) may be placed in residential care unless exceptional circumstances prevent family placement.

Spanish law under Article 173 bis of the Código Civil recognises several modalities of acogimiento familiar, each with distinct legal characteristics. Acogimiento familiar de urgencia (emergency foster care) is a temporary placement of up to six months for minors under six years of age, pending a longer-term decision. Acogimiento familiar temporal (temporary foster care) has a maximum duration of two years and is used while efforts are made to reunify the minor with their family of origin or a permanent solution is determined. Acogimiento familiar permanente (permanent foster care) is established when family reunification is not possible and adoption is not the appropriate solution — the foster family acquires additional legal powers (potestades) over the minor through judicial authorisation under Article 173 bis.4 Código Civil. Acogimiento familiar en familia extensa (kinship care) places the minor with a relative (abuelos, tíos, hermanos mayores) — statistically the most common modality in Spain, representing approximately 60–70% of all acogimientos familiares.

The Observatorio de Infancia, under the Ministerio de Derechos Sociales y Agenda 2030, publishes annual statistics on child protection in Spain (Boletín de Datos Estadísticos de Medidas de Protección a la Infancia). In 2022, Spain had approximately 35,000 minors in acogimiento familiar and 14,000 in acogimiento residencial — reflecting the ongoing policy shift toward family-based care. The Consejo Territorial de Servicios Sociales coordinates national child protection standards across the seventeen autonomous communities, each of which operates its own entidad pública de protección de menores.

A Family Foster Care Agreement Spain is required whenever a minor in the care of Spain's public child protection system is placed with a foster family under any of the modalities established by Article 173 bis of the Código Civil — emergency, temporary, permanent, or kinship care.

The Acuerdo de Acogimiento Familiar is required when a minor has been declared in a situation of desamparo (abandonment) under Article 172 of the Código Civil — meaning the minor is effectively deprived of the necessary moral or material protection due to non-fulfilment or inadequate fulfilment of parental duties (obligaciones parentales) — and the entidad pública assumes legal guardianship (tutela ex lege) and decides to place the minor in family care rather than residential care.

The agreement is needed when a relative (familiar) of the minor — grandparents, aunts, uncles, or older siblings — formally requests to be recognised as kinship foster carers (acogedores en familia extensa) under Article 173 bis.1 Código Civil, and the entidad pública assesses their suitability (idoneidad) and approves the placement as an acogimiento en familia extensa.

The document is required when a married couple, civil partnership (pareja de hecho), or single adult who has been assessed as suitable (idóneo) by the entidad pública through the proceso de valoración de idoneidad wishes to be approved as acogedores para acogimiento en familia ajena (non-relative foster care) — whether for temporary or permanent acogimiento.

A Family Foster Care Agreement is required when an existing acogimiento arrangement is modified — for example, when a temporary acogimiento is converted to permanent acogimiento because family reunification is no longer feasible, requiring a new agreement reflecting the changed legal status and the extended parental-like powers granted to the foster family.

The agreement is also required when the acogimiento must be formalised with judicial approval — specifically, acogimiento permanente under Article 173 bis.4 Código Civil requires approval by the Juzgado de Primera Instancia (Sección de Familia) where the foster family and the minor are domiciled, and the court-approved acogimiento agreement constitutes the legal title establishing the foster family's rights and obligations.

Finally, the Acuerdo de Acogimiento Familiar is required when the foster family needs to exercise legal acts on behalf of the minor — enrolling the minor in school, consenting to medical treatment (within the scope of ordinary health care — for extraordinary or irreversible interventions, the entidad pública or the biological parents retain consent authority under Article 9 of Ley 41/2002 de Autonomía del Paciente), obtaining a DNI, or travelling internationally (requiring the specific authorisation of the entidad pública or, where biological parents retain parental authority — patria potestad — their consent under Article 160.2 Código Civil).

Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy.

A valid Family Foster Care Agreement Spain under Articles 172 bis, 173, and 173 bis of the Código Civil and the Ley Orgánica 1/1996 LOPJM must contain the following elements to be legally effective and compliant with the requirements of the relevant autonomous community child protection authority.

Identification of the Minor (Menor): Full name, date of birth, DNI (if issued) or passport number, nationality, and the minor's official case reference number assigned by the entidad pública. The personal data of minors must be treated with enhanced confidentiality under Article 7 of the Ley Orgánica 3/2018 LOPDGDD and the GDPR.

Identification of the Entidad Pública: The official name and administrative address of the autonomous community's child protection authority — for example, Consejería de Igualdad, Salud y Políticas Sociales de Andalucía; Àrea de Suport als Joves Tutelats i Extutelats de Cataluña; or Agencia Madrileña de Atención a la Infancia — and the name and title of the official executing the agreement on behalf of the authority.

Identification of the Foster Carers (Acogedores): Full names, DNIs/NIE, address, telephone, and email of the foster carer(s). For couples, both partners must be identified. The acogedores' idoneidad assessment reference should be noted. The relationship to the minor (familia extensa or familia ajena) must be specified, as it determines the applicable legal modality under Article 173 bis Código Civil.

Modality of Acogimiento: Express statement of the modality under Article 173 bis — urgencia (emergency, up to six months), temporal (temporary, up to two years, extendable), permanente (permanent, requiring judicial approval), or en familia extensa (kinship). The modality determines the duration of the placement, the extent of the foster family's authority, and the review schedule.

Duration and Review: The agreed duration of the placement (or, for permanent acogimiento, the indefinite nature of the arrangement) and the frequency of review (revisión) by the entidad pública — Article 173.3 Código Civil requires at least annual reviews for temporary acogimiento to assess the evolution of the minor and the possibility of family reunification.

Rights and Obligations of the Foster Family: The obligations of the acogedores under Article 173.1 Código Civil — to care for the minor, keep them in their home, feed, educate, and confirm their thorough development; to comply with the minor's individual protection plan (plan de protección individual); to support contact between the minor and their biological family as directed by the entidad pública; to inform the entidad pública of significant changes in the minor's situation or the foster family's circumstances; and to return the minor to the entidad pública when the acogimiento ends or is revoked.

Rights of the Foster Family: The right to receive financial support (prestación económica de acogimiento) from the entidad pública where applicable under the autonomous community's regulations; the right to receive professional support and training from the entidad pública; and the right to be consulted before decisions affecting the minor are made by the entidad pública.

Contact with the Biological Family: The regime of contact (régimen de visitas y comunicaciones) between the minor and their biological parents, siblings, and extended family — specifying the frequency, duration, location (supervised or unsupervised), and any restrictions — in accordance with the minor's best interests (interés superior del menor) under Article 2 LOPJM and the Observatorio de Infancia's guidance.

Reunification Plan (if applicable): Where acogimiento is temporary, the steps and conditions for family reunification (reinserción familiar) — including the parental skills programme (programa de habilidades parentales) or substance dependency treatment (tratamiento de drogodependencias) required of the biological parents — and the timeline for review of the reunification objective.

Data Protection: A clause complying with GDPR and LOPDGDD on the processing of the minor's and foster family's personal data by the entidad pública — strictly limited to child protection purposes, with access restricted to authorised caseworkers and professionals with a legitimate need to know.

Forms-legal.com provides this Family Foster Care Agreement Spain template as a reference document. Actual acogimiento agreements are formal administrative acts issued by the entidad pública de protección de menores of the relevant autonomous community and cannot be self-generated by private parties. Families wishing to become foster carers should contact their autonomous community's child protection authority to begin the assessment (valoración de idoneidad) process.

Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy.