Dependency Takes Center Stage with €1.602 Billion

The Government of the Canary Islands approved on Wednesday a multi‑year allocation of €1,132.4 million to cover the agreements that fund the Dependency System in the islands for the 2025‑2028 period.

An additional contribution of €469.6 million from the island councils brings the total investment in the dependency and disability system in the Canary Islands to €1,602 million.

The councilor for Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, Candelaria Delgado, said in a press conference after the Government Council that one of the commitments made by President Fernando Clavijo at the start of the legislature is being fulfilled: “to attend to people and put them at the centre of management.”

“We are addressing a historic debt that also takes the third sector into account, ensuring stability, common rules and guaranteed financing for the network of care for dependency and disability across all islands,” she added.

She also noted that the approved amount includes the commitment to maintain all planned services with updated prices, applied retroactively from January of this year.

Delgado further explained that “the new dependency agreement strengthens territorial equality with common access criteria to reserve lists and mandatory accreditation of third‑sector entities, guaranteeing the same quality of care on every island.”

“The whole procedure has been documented and participatory, involving the island councils and sector agents. We are undoubtedly witnessing a historic day because we are meeting the goals we set for territorial equality, consolidating a more just, stable and sustainable socio‑health system,” she said.

Under the new dependency agreement, services directly provided by the Autonomous Community will no longer appear in the island texts—for example, tele‑assistance, already contracted by the Community and therefore removed from all agreements. Specialized home‑care assistance in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and Tenerife will now be managed by the Government of the Canary Islands to ensure homogeneous criteria and full island coverage.

Real‑Cost Pricing

• Prices are updated to reflect real costs, using a review method based on island cost reports and an independent study.
• A socio‑health protocol is introduced to regulate hospital admissions and social emergencies, preventing loss of state funding and improving coordination with the health system.

Delgado detailed that the budget of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families for 2026 amounts to €837.7 million (an increase of 8.2 %), and could reach €1.037 billion with the incorporation of external funds.