Mallorca has opened a new emergency facility located in Son Tous to provide an immediate response to the arrival of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents on the island’s coastline. This new centre is expected to reduce costs per place by up to 40% thanks to a care model tailored to the minors’ specific needs and the elimination of rental expenses.
The president of the Institut Mallorquí d’Afers Socials (IMAS), Guillermo Sánchez, visited the facility together with senior officials responsible for social services and child protection, confirming that the centre is now operational and ready to receive minors.
Sánchez explained that this emergency resource makes it possible to better organise the initial response, act more quickly and provide care that reflects the real profiles of the minors arriving. The main goal, he stated, is to protect children’s rights while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the child protection system.
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Mallorca opens the Son Tous emergency centre to respond to the arrival of migrant minors
The opening of Son Tous comes in response to the structural strain currently affecting the child protection network, which has been operating at very high occupancy levels in recent months. The steady increase in arrivals has led to overcrowding in existing residential facilities, pushing them to their limits. This new flexible resource will help the system adapt to changing circumstances and prevent further saturation.
A shortage of available facilities has been another key factor contributing to overcrowding. Despite efforts involving local councils, institutions and social organisations across the island, suitable spaces had not been available until now.
The Son Tous emergency centre opens with an initial capacity of 16 places and has been designed as a scalable facility that can be expanded if demand increases. Its launch forms part of the IMAS contingency plan in response to sustained migratory pressure. The recent declaration of regional public interest by the Balearic Government will also speed up administrative procedures related to renovations, construction work and staffing.
Cost efficiency is one of the centre’s main strengths. By using a publicly owned building and applying a care model specifically designed for migrant minors, management costs are significantly reduced without compromising professional and specialised support.
The centre’s location near the National Police’s Temporary Foreigners Assistance Centre (CATE) simplifies coordination between services, reduces unnecessary transfers and makes initial procedures, including age assessment, less distressing for minors.
In the future, the same building is expected to host the IMAS specialised unit for unaccompanied migrant minors, further strengthening coordination and enabling more comprehensive care from a single location.