Continued attention to women victims of gender violence can make a before and after in their emotional health. This is evidenced by a study by the association Endavant, which concludes that this support reduces depression and stabilizes anxiety one year after starting the programs of the Institut Mallorquí d’Afers Socials (IMAS).

The Socialist group in the Consell de Mallorca has accused the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) of "abandoning" the more than 200 people who will soon be evicted from the former Palma prison. According to the Socialists, the eviction was carried out in a "hasty, improvised, and deeply irresponsible" manner.

The president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) stated in Thursday's plenary session of the Consell de Mallorca that "the vast majority of homeless They don't want IMAS services because they're not charity; things have changed, and compliance with regulations, schedules, and an individualized care plan is now required." Along the same lines, he emphasized that "IMAS isn't a hotel." Sánchez also referred to the Mobile Emergency Units (UME) that provide services to people living on the streets, saying they "have difficulty getting the homeless to leave the settlements because they don't want to comply with regulations." Furthermore, he pointed out that homelessness "isn't a reality unique to Palma; it occurs in all major European cities and is one of the great challenges of modern societies."

A worker at the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) has decided to go public with his situation after a year he describes as a professional and personal ordeal, marked—according to his complaint—by episodes of harassment, disciplinary sanctions without clear grounds, and a complete lack of institutional support. The case, which dates back to 2024, has resulted in the worker undergoing psychological treatment due to what he describes as a suffocating work environment. In this context, he recounts that in May of last year, a disciplinary file was opened against him, leading to his suspension and a significant loss of income, a decision he directly attributes to the management of the center where he worked. According to him, throughout the entire process, he was not provided with conclusive evidence or full access to the file documentation, which he considers a violation of his most basic rights as a public employee.

The president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, has formally requested information from the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, regarding the status of requests for information from the countries of origin concerning the family situations of all migrant children who have arrived in the Balearic Islands, in order to assess their repatriation. "Any child protection system has as its primary mission family reunification. Children are better off with their families," stated Guillermo Sánchez, president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), on Wednesday. He emphasized that the Immigration Law stipulates that requesting information from the countries of origin regarding the family situation of each child—a procedure that must be carried out before initiating the repatriation process—is the exclusive responsibility of the Spanish state. However, Sánchez expressed his concern that he does not know "whether the Ministry of the Interior is processing these requests." In the same vein, he added that he has presided over IMAS for more than two years and that during this period the Spanish government "has neither responded nor sent any information regarding repatriations." Therefore, he reiterated that if repatriation is not possible, the child protection systems of the countries of origin will have to take responsibility. He also insisted that the Spanish government has not requested any information from the island institution about the minors who have arrived in Mallorca. Furthermore, the president of IMAS considered the €1.2 million in aid that the Spanish government will provide to the Balearic Islands to care for migrant children to be "a joke." Sánchez explained that Mallorca is entitled to approximately €700,000, an amount which, he considered, "is not even enough to cover the costs of ten days of care for the minors." Budget Execution

In 2024, the Consell de Mallorca approved the largest budget in the institution's history, totaling €646 million. In fact, one out of every two million euros is allocated to social policies. The IMAS budget increased by 4.5% compared to 2023. However, the president of the entity emphasized today that the system is compromised by a lack of funding, staff, and adapted facilities. "In terms of human resources, ratios, funding, and infrastructure, we no longer have any capacity for growth," he insisted. The left has repeatedly stated that in 2024 the island institution failed to spend 20% of its budget. The PSIB attributes this surplus to the failure to execute spending items planned in the initial budget, especially investment, across the various departments of the Council and the IMAS. For his part, Sánchez asserted that the island institution has spent the entire IMAS budget and explained that the agency has had to request an additional 15 million euros to finance the reception of migrant children. Regarding the allocation of spaces, Sánchez criticized the lack of support from some municipal institutions governed by the left. "We have requested the allocation of spaces from city councils and have received no response. If they have available spaces, I hope they will make them available to IMAS," he said. "Pure and simple racism."

The spokesperson for the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) in the Council of Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, described Galmés's actions as "pure and simple racism" and asserted that requesting the repatriation of migrant children under guardianship in Mallorca "crosses every red line in the defense of Human Rights and Children's Rights by a president of the Council of Mallorca." The Socialist spokesperson attributed the initiative to a "drift towards the extreme right" by the island president, to appease the ideology of his far-right Vox partners in the Council's government. In fact, according to Cladera, "Galmés has already pushed his far-right allies, who are sitting in the government, further to the right."

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The residents of the Palma Nursing Home, a center run by the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) of the Consell de Mallorca, have been without a bar for over two years. This space was a meeting place for a drink or a snack, spending time with family, and watching television together before its closure. All this in an area of Palma where leisure and dining options are scarce.

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The left of the Consell de Mallorca asks the president of the island institution, Llorenç Galmés, to take "brave and real" measures for limit rental cars on the island. At least, Vox believes that it is unacceptable in any way that the regulations require Spaniards to pay a fee to enter Mallorca by car. The different political positions leave the approval of one of Galmés's flagship measures in the Consell in high regard. However, the island president is not giving up and continues to negotiate the final proposal for the regulations with entities and companies in the sector, as well as with the parties represented in the Consell, with the aim of ensuring that "it is not only a proposal from one government team, but that it is applied in other legislatures," as Galmés hoped.

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The Mallorca Council and the regional government want to create an emergency reception center for migrant minors in the former Son Tous barracks, although physically separate from the current Temporary Migrant Care Center (CATI). The president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), Guillermo Sánchez, has confirmed that they are studying the idea, shortly before the Council of Ministers, as planned, approves the royal decree that will detail the ordinary reception capacity of each of the autonomous communities and allow for the initiation of referrals of minors.

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The Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) warned this Monday that the service is overwhelmed due to the arrival of unaccompanied migrant minors. The organization's vice president, Magdalena García, specified that they are currently caring for 466 migrant minors out of a total of 600. "IMAS was characterized by an accompaniment system, but at some point it will have to be primarily assistance-based," she explained. "The situation has been serious for many months, but no one listens to us, no one listens to us." In this sense, she held the Spanish government responsible for this situation, for not "recognizing" the migratory route between Algeria and the Balearic Islands.

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Sandra Fernández (Palma, 1980) is the new regional government minister for Family, Social Welfare, and Care for Dependent People following the departure of Catalina Cirer. She cites her as a key figure and is grateful for giving her her first political opportunity in the Balearic Islands. Her portfolio is marked by the challenge of reducing waiting lists: 14,500 people are waiting for a disability assessment; 3,700 for a dependency assessment; and 2,500 for the Individual Care Program (PIA).

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Councillor Javier de Juan will leave politics this Thursday, following the plenary session of the Consell de Mallorca, ending his two-and-a-half-term career in the island's Socialist group. A graduate in Economics and Business Administration, he served as president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) and as the island's Councillor for the Presidency from 2015 to 2023. During the current term, he served in the opposition as deputy spokesperson for the Socialist group. He was also deputy secretary general of the Socialist Federation of Mallorca, where he currently serves as secretary of Ideas and Project Coordination.

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The socialist group of the Council of Mallorca This Saturday, the Spanish National Assembly denounced the loss of public residential places for the elderly, which have fallen from 963 in 2023 to 818 in 2024—a 15.06% reduction—as well as the lack of staff in the island's residences. According to the Socialist councilor and Secretary of Social Rights for the PSIB-PSOE (Socialist Workers' Party), Sofía Alonso, the situation has led to "closed units, endless waiting lists, and undignified working conditions for care workers."

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The president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), Guillermo Sánchez, has rejected the distribution of unaccompanied migrant minors from the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla to other communities, arguing that it "perverts the entire protection system."

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