Monica Oltra’s resignation comes at a pivotal moment for Equality, with substantial work ahead to translate Parliament’s landmark decisions into action. The incoming minister, Aitana Mas, must accelerate efforts to bring these texts to life quickly, because, as Oltra put it, it would mean a thirty-year leap in management.
The path forward reflects broad consensus from the third sector and leading platforms addressing addiction issues. To strengthen the legislature and dismantle what Oltra has long defended as the welfare state’s cornerstone—Social Services—it is necessary to repeal two decrees.
The first decree governs the typology and functioning of social services, programs, and centers. It stands as a sprawling reference work of more than a thousand pages accessible through petitions. Essentially, it updates and enhances the rates and models for all social service centers while ensuring local care. It also merges more than 15 standards, many untouched for three decades, and breathes fresh air into the system.
The second decree concerns the Covivint Plan, a new housing model designed to be less crowded and more residential, organized into 20-person co-living units and capping centers at 100 spaces. This decree aims to complete the Blasco-Cotino model and has faced opposition from employers who argue it does not address the future demand for large numbers of elderly residents. Currently, there are 28,720 places (283 private and 74 public) spread across 357 centers, with plans for around 7,000 more. The World Health Organization estimates that 22,800 will be required, underscoring the need to accelerate the plan and approve it in line with requests from the third sector.
Both decrees have cleared these legislative sessions, and organizations are pushing to have them enacted within the year if feasible. Yet administrative hurdles remain. The first one must be endorsed by Mas this Monday. The government recently approved the accreditation and quality agreement for centers and services of the Addiction Care and Assistance System SAAD for autonomous communities. Now it must pass through the regional governments to be ratified, and the rule forms a link to one of the pillars of the two prior decrees. Equality—demanded by the third sector—needs to move swiftly to meet the government’s expectations and push these decrees forward as soon as possible. [Citation: Ministry of Equality, regional press release, 2024]
push to PATI
There is, however, a third decree that the addiction sector eagerly supports; the first because it originates there, the second because it signals the end of institutionalization within centers. It concerns the arrangement of personal assistants—individuals hired to serve as a person’s eyes, hands, and feet. Valencia has historically led in this highly valued service for people with disabilities, providing genuine freedom of movement beyond the walls of centers. At present, the region has only 192 personal assistants, but organizations are urging stronger momentum this year, proposing to increase awareness and availability. They are particularly seeking to bolster the role of the children’s personal assistant (PATI), a benefit that Comunidad Valenciana has pioneered across Spain. [Citation: Valencian Social Services Directorate, 2023]
Oltra’s first move upon taking office at Botànic was to cut waiting lists for addicts. Seven years in, that promise began to be fulfilled. In 2015 the system served 43,000 people, and Oltra left behind solid data showing a rise in benefits and outcomes, with 126,565 individuals assisted annually via Imserso, though nuanced by context. The central challenge, however, lay in arrears for families awaiting aid, with around 14,000 households affected. The former minister prioritized those on the waiting list, but families not yet compensated remained, a situation Mas must address. [Citation: Oltra administration records, 2015–2017]
Oltra’s second policy was the Valencian trans law, a pioneering framework enacted in 2017 that served as a benchmark for national efforts a few years later. The regulation helped advance gender self-determination and streamlined document changes while addressing harmful practices such as conversion therapies. Oltra’s close ties to the LGBTI community and groups like Lambda have shaped this agenda, though it remains to be seen how Mas will weigh priorities in this area. [Citation: Valencian trans law retrospective, 2017–2020]
Despite the doubling of capacity and ongoing inquiries, early intervention gaps, limited day-center spaces for dependent individuals, and managing the Government Minimum Vital Income as a precursor to broader policies present ongoing management hurdles for Mas. The Equality and Social Services portfolio has long been one of the more demanding roles within the government. Oltra began with a mission to “save the people” and place the most vulnerable at the center of the system, a mission now taken up by Mas. [Citation: Government briefing, 2024]