During the 33rd Annual Congress organised by the association, which is taking place today and tomorrow in Fuenlabrada

Fuenlabrada Town Council has been awarded a prize by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services (AEDYGSS) in the ‘Public Institution’ category, alongside the town councils of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Valladolid, Montilla and Barcelona, for achieving the highest score on Spain’s local DEC Index for Social Services.

The award was presented this morning during the 33rd Annual Congress, which is taking place today and tomorrow at the La Serna Civic Centre and was opened by the First Deputy Mayor, Mónica Sebastián, alongside the President of ADYGSS, José Manuel Ramírez.

Fuenlabrada has previously received awards from the organisation in previous years, in recognition of the council’s excellent work in this area. Mónica Sebastián expressed her gratitude for the recognition, stating that “it highlights the immense work carried out by the professionals in Fuenlabrada, a city that has always been a pioneer and a benchmark in the field of social services”.

The mayors of Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero, and Montilla, Rafael Ángel Llamas, as well as representatives from the councils of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Barcelona, also collected their respective awards.

Among the other award winners were the Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, in the ‘Outstanding Figures in Social Justice’ category; Joaquín Almunia, politician and economist, who received the award for ‘Lifetime Achievement in Social Services’; and the PRISA Group, in the ‘Media’ category.

Throughout the conference, attended by professionals from across the country, several round-table discussions will take place to reflect on the 20 years of the Dependency Care System and the new challenges posed by the reform of the Act with new funding, as well as proposing necessary improvements and debating the future of the system, home care, day centres, residential care, technological innovation and the impact of artificial intelligence on care provision.