The seven-month-old baby admitted to Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo after wounds reportedly caused by the child’s father is now out of danger and under the care of Aldeas Infantiles, as this newspaper has learned. The court, on a precautionary basis, removed the parents’ guardianship of the minor, with provisional custody placed with the Xunta de Galicia, which maintains a specialized foster care program with Aldeas Infantiles.
The events date back to January when the baby’s mother brought him to the emergency department at Álvaro Cunqueiro with a series of injuries. Medical staff documented the injuries and activated the protocol for this type of case. In addition to bites, doctors observed facial injuries and already-healed rib fractures. Consequently, the Juvenile Court and Investigation Court Number 1 in Porriño opened an inquiry into a potential case of mistreatment against the father of the child.
It is notable that the mother, a 19-year-old, was the one who reported the situation to the authorities. After the hospital notified the Civil Guard, she told officers that while she stepped away briefly to prepare a bottle for the baby, she returned to find the child severely injured and transported him to the hospital. During the window when the minor sustained the injuries, he was under the care of his father, a 23-year-old, according to the mother’s account. The couple, both residents of Porriño, lived in Pontellas with limited resources. The man also had police records for a theft in Tui.
The judge ordered the father to be questioned, but he disappeared on the day the baby was admitted to the hospital. He was later located in Tui by the Civil Guard and brought before the Juvenile Court of Porriño, where he was released while investigations continued, under charges of mistreatment. As precautionary measures, the court imposed a restraining order against the minor, suspended parental rights, and required him to appear every fifteen days in court.
The baby’s mother, a 19-year-old, had previously reported to the authorities that upon returning from preparing a bottle for the child she found the infant with injuries and immediately took him to the hospital.
Provisional guardianship of the seven-month-old has been transferred to the Xunta, which has entrusted Aldeas Infantiles with the child’s care while the judicial process proceeds and the investigation unfolds.
The Galician government and the non-profit child-care organization operate under a formal agreement for cases requiring family foster care. This arrangement places the infant, in this instance the seven-month-old, with a foster family as a protective measure. Under current law, foster care is the preferred option for children and adolescents separated from their families of origin due to protective measures.
The mother, a 19-year-old, reported to authorities that after leaving briefly to prepare a bottle for the child, she returned to find the baby injured and then took him to the hospital.
Evidence from health professionals and law enforcement indicate the baby is now receiving appropriate care under the supervision of Aldeas Infantiles, with the investigation ongoing to determine the full circumstances and any responsibilities of the adults involved.
The arrangement reflects a broader policy in Galicia that prioritizes foster care as a safeguard for minors when immediate family preservation is not feasible, until a court resolves custody and parental rights in the context of protection proceedings.