SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Parliament of the Canary Islands organizes this Monday, ‘World Children’s Day’, the first edition of the ‘Canary Children’s Days’.
The president of Parliament, Astrid Pérez, details in a note that the objective is “to open a space for debate and reflection around issues such as the guardianship of minors, the social and emotional needs of minors in guardianship processes, the of protection, the best interest of the minor or the need to update current regulations, especially those that refer to foster care and adoption processes”.
From the Parliament of the Canary Islands, he continues, “we want to put on the table issues that concern the families involved and the specialists in the care of minors.”
Thus, he indicates that with the help of experts and testimonies they will address issues that, such as foster care and adoption, “have generated very complicated situations in the Canary Islands in recent years.”
In his opinion, this is “a reality that points us in the direction of a necessary legislative modification that offers a more appropriate and flexible response to defend the best interests of minors.”
These ‘First Canary Islands-Childhood Conferences’ will begin at 10:00 a.m., in the Europa Room, with the opening and welcome by the president of the Chamber and a discussion table titled ‘Guardianship of minors in the Canary Islands: joint work of entities’, moderated by journalist Miguel Ángel Daswani.
Jennifer Rodríguez Quintana, psychologist and coordinator of the family program of the General Directorate of Child and Family Protection of the Government of the Canary Islands, will participate; Antonio Guijarro Expósito, director of the Childhood and Family Unit of the Insular Institute of Social and Health Care of the Cabildo of Tenerife, and Walter Martín Waló, project director of the SUMAS Association.
Starting at 11:00 a.m., the psychologist specializing in foster care and adoption Javier J. Múgica Flores will offer a presentation titled ‘The social and emotional needs of minors in guardianship processes’.
CHANGES IN THE MINOR PROTECTION SYSTEM
Next, at 11:25 a.m., Enrique J. Vila Torre, lawyer and jurist specializing in child protection, will speak on the ‘Child protection system, a necessary change’.
At 12:10 p.m. the dialogue titled ‘Voices of love and hope: Experiences and realities from families’ is scheduled, where the Lanzarote family formed by Juan Ulises Montesdeoca Perdomo and Gloria Molina Oliva will share their experience as a host family and their fight for right to permanent reception in cases where it is justified.
Pascual Ortuño Muñoz, magistrate of the Family Chamber of the Provincial Court of Barcelona, will speak at 12:55 p.m. to elaborate on ‘The perspective of children and adolescents in family justice’.
The day will conclude with a panel discussion, also moderated by Miguel Ángel Daswani, in which ‘The best interest of the minor’ will be addressed, with Sonia Plasencia Carrillo, doctor in Developmental and Educational Psychology from the University of La Laguna and Master in Family Mediation and Intervention; Asunción Sánchez Jorge, deputy director of the Family Guidance Center of the Canary Islands; María José Ribera Fernández, lawyer, family mediator, parenting coordinator and acting president of the Canarian Family Guidance Foundation, and Almudena Olaguibel Echevarría-Torres, head of Protection in the UNICEF Advocacy Area.
