“The Government’s main concern has been, is and will be to preserve the privacy, safety and well-being of minors under the guardianship of the Community,” said Carmen Susín, Minister of Social Protection and Family, at a press conference this Thursday. If negligence is proven in the level of surveillance that corresponds to the DGA, the relevant legal actions will be taken to take them to the ultimate consequences, said the councilor during her appearance before the media regarding the facts that are being investigated at the Ateca. Center for Minors (Zaragoza).
“The main party interested in clarifying the situation and making the guilty pay in case a crime is proven is the General Council of Aragon, which is the one that has guardianship of these minors,” who resided in this center through mediation.
“We have taken two decisions in the first instance: the opening of an internal investigation file, with the appointment of the corresponding instructor, and the appearance in the open file for everything related to the facts investigated at the Ateca Centre for Minors,” he said. confirmed. However, and despite this request for appearance, the Government of Aragon still does not have access or knowledge of the judicial proceedings at the moment.
“I announce that today two new decisions have been taken: the opening of the administrative file for the claim for damages for breach of contract as established in article 194 of the Public Sector Contracts Act against the managing entity of the Ateca Center for Minors. This may give rise to legal action and aims to terminate any contractual relationship between the Administration and the managing entity in the present and future and the subsequent decision on judicial responsibilities. In addition, a disciplinary file has also been opened against the person responsible for the provincial guardianship and child protection service,” the councilor reported.
The Government of Aragon is also analyzing the implementation of “an audit of each of the contracts that, for similar centers or situations similar to those of the Ateca center, are in force.” Susín stressed that measures will be taken not only regarding the events being investigated in Ateca; also in any other case where negligence is found in professional practice in the field of assistance to minors, all without prejudice to the outcome of the ongoing investigation, so that the Government can act immediately and assess the appropriate measures in the chain of responsibility.
The main task of the Aragonese Government at the moment is to prove the traceability of everything that happened in this case and the information collected: “We have detected deficiencies in the communication and information channels,” Susín stressed: “There is an order that any incident must be reported and this has not been the case. Therefore, if on the part of the Administration, as a result of the internal investigation file already in progress, “any negligence in the duty of surveillance and control” that corresponds to it is proven, “the relevant legal actions will be taken to bring them to justice.” until the last consequences”, reiterated the head of the Department of Social Protection and Family.
“This investigation aims to know in depth why this situation occurred,” said Carmen Susín: “We want to know if there were actually previous complaints, what type – written, verbal – and when they took place; “if an official was informed, if someone looked the other way, if there was any negligence, lack of diligence in the transfer of information or any other type of fact that could give rise to liability.”
“With this, we intend to know if there may be risks, if these contracts are fulfilled as legally established, if there have been more similar cases and of what type”, as well as “to deepen and dissect the operation of this type of centers to address the improvements that must be made”, all this taking into account the higher regulations in force that must be respected and applied in addition to regional regulations.
“In the event that any of the facts under investigation prove to constitute a crime, it will be the Government itself, based on the opinion of the legal services, that will bring it to the attention of the Ministry of Justice and file the corresponding accusation,” the adviser said. In the event that no crime is proven, but “a certain type of offense susceptible to internal sanction” within the Administration, “this will be done.”
“This is all the information that the Government of Aragon and the IASS can provide without interfering in the judicial investigation and without assessing issues that, as we have mentioned on several occasions, affect the best interests of the minor that we are obliged to preserve,” insisted the Minister of Social Protection and Family.
Susín stressed that this government has launched an ambitious political program that works and, in addition, solves problems in a very discreet way. “We will work to improve the child protection system that we found when we came to the government and prepare all the information to help clarify the facts, and throughout this process we will always prioritize the privacy, well-being and safety in our actions of the minors under surveillance,” he said.
“Until this problem is solved and measures are put in place to try to avoid similar cases, the government will not rest,” said Carmen Susín, who supported the commitment of the current executive to improve the daily lives of the Aragonese, especially the poorest, the most vulnerable or those who cannot fend for themselves or defend themselves: “And we will continue to do so, whatever the cost,” she concluded.
