December saw a significant boost in interest in social services in the capital. On Monday, 14 psychiatrists joined the municipal centers. Beyond that number, what’s important is that, as ABC has learned, for the first time … At the same time, this professional character is integrated into the services provided by the City Council to people suffering from economic, physical or emotional dependency.
Therefore, starting this week, users of some centers spread across six regions will receive more “personalized” care, since these new professionals will be allocated to care for cases presenting greater complexity and to detect diseases such as depression or suicidal behavior. For example, if they identify problems of unwanted loneliness in older people or a lack of independence in people that represents a state of serious vulnerability. Based on this finding, other, more specialized resources can be activated to mitigate these situations.
Although the interest is not personal, the personality of the psychologist “is fundamental in these cases to be able to carry out an intervention with those people who present difficulties in the intervention process,” explains the field of social policy, family and equality, which has encouraged the entry of these professionals into social services.
Therefore, their work is complemented by the work already carried out by the staff of whom social workers have always been a part and who have recently been joined by social educators. But above all it enhances it, because in this way it allows other professionals to specialize in their tasks. In parallel, they will work together, where the new psychologists and social educators, together with social workers, will be part of intensive monitoring teams that will examine cases requiring multidisciplinary intervention.
Currently, the first 14 psychiatrists have joined, distributed in six areas of the capital: Carabanchel (in three centers), Puente de Vallecas (in four), Latina (in three), Villaverde (in two centers) and in a center in Usera and another in San Blas. However, the municipal government’s goal is to reach 40 specialists, one for each social services center in the capital.
“Through this strategic plan for social services, we have committed to a significant increase in the number of staff in the centres, so that we can offer more flexible attention to users, and we are achieving that. With the addition of a new professional figure to the centres, namely psychologists, we are making this assistance to citizens more complete, responding to the needs of every neighbour, especially those in more vulnerable situations,” district delegate, José Fernández, tells ABC.
This is a commitment from the head of the region who, through the plan approved in May 2024, has already thought about integrating 329 new professionals until 2027. Thus, from then until the end of the year, the social services of the capital include 235 new workers. In addition, in 2026, it is planned to include 13 additional psychologists, 26 social educators, 13 technical coordinators and four social inclusion coordinators.