Monlarento · Who We Help

The Context

What happens when care ends at 18

In Spain, the child protection system provides housing, education support, and administrative guidance to young people who cannot live with their families. When a young person turns 18, this support structure ends. In most cases, the transition is immediate and without a gradual handover period.

The practical consequences of this are concrete. Suddenly having to open a bank account without a guarantor, understand an employment contract without guidance, or complete a tax return for the first time are tasks that most young adults learn from their families. Care leavers face these same tasks without that informal support network.

This is not a failure of character or preparation. It is a structural gap in the transition system that Monlarento is designed to address.

Young person at a desk with documents, navigating administrative processes with focus and determination

Eligibility

Who can join the programme

Monlarento is designed with specific eligibility criteria to ensure resources reach those who need this type of support most.

Age range: 18 to 25

The programme is open to young people between 18 and 25. This window covers the most critical years of financial transition, from the moment care ends through the early stages of independent adult life. There is no lower income threshold required.

Former child protection participants

You must have been part of the Spanish child protection system at some point. This includes foster care placements, residential care centres (centros de acogida), and family-based kinship arrangements managed by the Administración.

Geographic access

In-person sessions are available for young people living in or near Madrid. The distance learning programme and online mentoring are accessible from any location in Spain. Some activities may have limited capacity.

No employment or education conditions

Whether you are working, studying, looking for employment, or in a period of transition, the programme is available to you. Your current status does not determine your eligibility or the support you receive.

Common Challenges

The specific situations we address

These are the concrete situations that care leavers most commonly face in their first years of independence. Each area of Monlarento's programme has been designed around real needs.

Identity and documentation

Many care leavers leave the system without a complete set of personal documents or without knowing where to obtain them. Obtaining a DNI, understanding the empadronamiento, and managing official correspondence are foundational steps that we help to navigate.

Financial access and literacy

Opening a bank account, avoiding predatory financial products, understanding credit and debit, and building savings habits from a very modest starting point require knowledge that is usually passed on informally within families.

Employment and labour rights

Signing an employment contract without understanding what it means is a situation many care leavers face. We explain contract types, the importance of being registered with Social Security, what a payslip means, and what rights apply from day one.

Housing and rental agreements

Understanding a rental contract, knowing what a deposit covers, identifying red flags in informal rental arrangements, and knowing where to turn if problems arise are all areas that Monlarento addresses within the broader emancipation support framework.

Mentor and young person having an informal conversation outdoors, building rapport in a relaxed setting

Our Approach

Respect, privacy, and self-determination

Monlarento does not operate from a deficit model. The young people who come to us are resilient, capable, and motivated. They simply lack access to the informal knowledge networks that most people take for granted.

Sessions are confidential. Participation is entirely voluntary. The pace and content of each person's involvement are shaped by their own priorities and goals, not by a fixed curriculum imposed from outside.

Mentors are trained in trauma-informed practice. They understand that building trust takes time and that a financial question is sometimes a proxy for a deeper concern. The programme creates space for both.

Young people making the transition out of care