Aitana Mas, Vice President and Minister for Equality and Inclusive Policies, Family Diversity and Family Support Act championed by the leading department promised rights, plurality and diversity for more than 100,000 families in the Valencian Community.
Aitana Mas unveiled the new Family Diversity and Support Law at Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante. This regulation, together with other social measures approved by the Consell under the Social Law of Valencia, places the Valencian Community at the forefront of the country’s legislation, he stated.
The vice president stressed that Valencian citizenship today is plural and diverse, and families mirror the society they belong to. Protecting these families and securing their rights through public authorities is the ultimate aim of the law.
In his remarks, the Vice President recalled several measures already implemented in recent years, including recognition and support for families. Single-parent families benefited from simpler procedures, extended family recognition, and a move toward greater acceptance and joint responsibility. He noted that all of this was achieved with the appropriate budget, not merely by rules on paper.
He also highlighted the importance of coordinated and collaborative work across the Consell’s departments, with ongoing cooperation and harmony involving families and the associations that represent them and the wide range of supports available.
four basic axes
“We have taken a significant step forward,” the vice president said, noting that the new law gives force of law to earlier norms and consolidates them into a unified framework. The text normalizes different family realities, guaranteeing rights across existing structures and creating mechanisms to protect those rights while promoting joint responsibility and egalitarian practices.
At the presentation, Mas emphasized four essential axes that define the new statute.
The first axis recognizes family diversity by including a non-discrimination clause and a formal definition of the kinds of families that exist in the Valencian Community. The law underscores the importance of daily family life by detailing recognition of family status for extended or single-parent families and the procedures to grant, renew, or modify this status.
The second axis focuses on maternity and paternity protection. It advances commitments to free and responsible parenting, shared duties, and time allocated for raising and safeguarding the family. The regulation promotes positive actions encouraging men and women to participate in the workforce and includes measures on work hours and leave to support family care and reconciliation.
Alongside local organizations, it promotes quality professional care for children and adolescents and the establishment and maintenance of civic centers that combine social, community, family, generational, and gender perspectives. It also designs steps to ease access to the health system and to financially support the caregiving role within the family environment.
The third axis addresses the well-being and quality of life for families facing economic vulnerability and social exclusion. It includes protections such as tax relief or exemptions from public rates for vulnerable households and guarantees economic support for social emergencies and caregivers in family settings.
During the ceremony, a photo summary captured the Casa Mediterráneo setting where the meeting took place. The discussion also looked at how social services will provide information, guidance, and advice to families and how programs for protecting victims of gender and sexist violence will unfold. Support for adoptive and foster families, LGTBI families, and migrant or refugee families will be expanded, among other commitments.
The fourth axis centers on rights in health, housing, and living conditions. It calls for broader access to assisted reproductive technologies and information on sexual and reproductive health services, as well as mental health support within the family. It also aims to ensure affordable, decent, and adequate housing; rental assistance for vulnerable households; and help with housing acquisition and refurbishment, along with cultural, educational, sports, and sustainable mobility initiatives that influence family consumption patterns.
Large single-parent families
The Vice President also recalled the ministry’s ongoing efforts to cut red tape for large and single-parent families. Processing times for title applications have shortened significantly, enabling thousands of families to be counted under this category. Currently, about 100,097 large or single-parent families reside in the Valencian Community, compared with 58,821 in 2015.
Today there are approximately 78,000 large families distributed as follows: 39,233 in Valencia Province, 28,983 in Alicante, and 9,784 in Castellón; and roughly 22,097 single-parent families: 12,058 in Valencia, 7,368 in Alicante, and 2,671 in Castellón.
Overall, the law and its implementation aim to strengthen support networks and ensure that every family, regardless of structure, can access essential services, protections, and opportunities for growth within the Valencian Community.