The mayor of social rights in Lorca, María Castillo, provides a balance of the main reference points developed by the department in the last year.
Among other things, the signing of the social agreement, the first Early Childhood Congress organized in Lorca, with more than five hundred professionals at the national and international level, the AI Project for early diagnosis, or specialized summer courses coordinated with the University of Mercia
Maria Castillo, Mayor of Social Rights: «The commitment of the Lorca government to social policies is absolute, especially when it comes to minors who require specific services and attention. We will continue to strive for service improvement, as well as providing much-needed support to families in these cases and exploring new funding avenues and greater professional development»
Lorca, June 24, 2025. The councilor of social rights in the city of Lorca, Maria Castillo, presented this morning a balance of the main actions carried out by the department in the early intervention section in the last year, «Initiatives that have undoubtedly significantly increased the quality of the service, extending our reach, both to the families and to our community.»
Among the most notable actions, the growth of official staff at C, the Child Development Center and early intervention in Lorca, to meet the early intervention needs of the municipality’s children and families, which increased from 8 officials to 17, enabling us to expand the early intervention service post-council.
Likewise, an occupational therapist was added to the early intervention team, thanks to the first employment program launched by the Municipal Council through the Local Development Center, lasting a year; an initiative funded by the European Social Fund and the autonomous community, in addition to municipal contribution.
Maria Castillo also reviewed the agreement between the Lorca Municipal Council and municipal and private schools, through the Child Development and Early Intervention Center «Fine Navarro López», for the development of Primary and Secondary Prevention Program, to identify children who have had developmental changes or are at risk in their natural environment, as well as for the children.
In this line, a collaboration agreement in early intervention in Lorca’s educational centers was also developed, between the Ministry of Education and the City of Lorca, due to the joint activity of the Department of Education and Social Rights, to be implemented from municipal regulations, with the aim of promoting family reconciliation.
Key actions include the social agreement to improve the quality of early intervention and the sector itself, with APAT and Astrade as two other reference centers in early intervention, in addition to Navarro. «This effort was a ‘giant’ step for the treatments of minors in need of early intervention in the city, due to its multiplier effect, allowing for improvements in the service itself and benefiting a larger number of users and families.»
In July of last year, an appendix of 770,000 euros was added to the autonomous community agreement for the development of early intervention during the period 2024-2027, an approved measure that allowed for an increase in the service budget, rising from 1,680,000 euros to 2,450,000 euros.
The councilor highlighted the investment of 20,000 euros in structure C, providing new windows for sound insulation, to ensure the quality of programming and interventions with children with sensory disorders; in addition to the center’s refurbishment, painting common areas and soon, intervention rooms.
Documentation was also submitted for the call for the 2024 generation funds, to cover the creation of an upper factory for the Center, with a budget of 550,000 euros.
Of particular interest is the «innovation project for early diagnosis, by observing general movements». The joint municipal C – Navarro López remains with the computer department of the San Juan Bosco Institute in Lorca, an innovation initiative for the development of an AI that can be installed as a mobile application to detect, record gestures for timely intervention.
This is complemented by the «collaboration project in training students with the highest degree of early education at IEES San Juan Bosco», to provide greater knowledge about at-risk populations and their developmental changes, so they can already detect as future educators in early childhood schools.
From an academic standpoint, «we showcased our city with the first Early Childhood Congress organized in the city, attended by over 550 professionals at the national and international level.»
And the summer courses in Lorca focused solely on early intervention professionals, coordinated with the University of Mercia, centered last year on interdisciplinary intervention in the early care of newborns, and this year, on updating diagnosis, action, and intervention in children with spectrum disorders.
«The commitment of this government team to social policies is absolute, especially when it comes to minors requiring specific services and attention. We will continue to strive for service improvement, also facilitating family reconciliation in these cases,» concluded the mayor, who has supported new funding avenues and a broader outreach.
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