The Department of Social Welfare of the Arrecife City Council, led by Maite Corujo, has presented the 2025 Management Report, which states that the Community Social Services registered 3,435 direct services, with an average close to 700 people served by each social worker. Thus, the area assures that there is a "high social demand" in the capital of Lanzarote.
“The memory shows that Arrecife has today a stronger, more organized, and more agile social network than just two years ago. We have reinforced resources and opened new services to better respond to the needs of the citizenry,” highlights councilwoman Maite Corujo.
Strengthening of programs aimed at families and minors
One of the area's work axes during 2025 has been the reinforcement of programs aimed at families and minors. The municipal conciliatory camps, started the previous year, consolidated their operation during 2025 with all offered places covered, offering families safe spaces for the care of their sons and daughters during non-school periods and facilitating work-life balance.
To this line are added the conciliatory afternoons, which extend the support hours for families and promote education in values, coexistence and prevention of inequalities from early ages.
In parallel, the Municipal Team Specialized in childhood and family continued developing educational intervention and family support programs, among them the project Aula Mentor or the prevention program Vivir la adolescencia sin riesgo, in coordination with educational centers, health services and Local Police.
One of the most notable advances of the year has been the creation of the Rapid Response Unit, operational since October 2025, which allows for immediate attention to social emergency situations, especially those related to housing or lack of income.
This device streamlines intervention in urgent cases and allows for reducing waiting times in especially delicate situations, reinforcing the municipal system's reaction capacity.
The network of economic aid also maintained a high level of activity, with 256 PEAS aid processed, in addition to social reports, referrals to other resources and coordination with different public bodies.
Growth of other specialized services
The 2025 Report also reflects the growth of other specialized services. In the Equality area, the psychological care service for women victims of gender violence or in a situation of vulnerability attended to 84 women, with 715 individual sessions, in addition to group therapies and accompaniment actions.
In the field of immigration, 577 services were provided, in a complex regulatory context and with a single technical profile for a good part of the year. The service advises on foreign affairs procedures, nationality or consular management, and coordinates interventions with other social resources.
During 2025, progress was also made in the elaboration of a guide for reception and resources for migrant people, aimed at facilitating the work of the third sector and improving the access of foreign people to the available services.
The 2025 Report also highlights the training role of the Social Welfare area, which has reinforced its function not only of assistance, but also pedagogical and of support to professionals and social entities.
Training actions for foreigners
During the last year, different training actions have been developed in matters of immigration and social care, as well as specific training aimed at the home help service, improving the intervention capacity of the teams.
In the field of drug dependencies, the area has begun to take steps that had not been developed until now, with initiatives focused on prevention and awareness. Among them are included training actions and campaigns such as the distribution of cup covers in leisure spaces, aimed at reducing risks and promoting safer environments, especially among the young population.
“We are reinforcing a line of work that not only serves, but also prevents and trains. Giving tools to professionals and entities is key to reaching people better and sooner,” highlights Corujo.
The memory also puts the focus on a phenomenon that worries the Social Welfare area: the non-attendances to appointments in social services, which exceeded 2,000 during the last year.
These absences represent an important brake for the system, since they prevent taking advantage of available shifts and delay the attention of other people who need urgent help.
“Every appointment that is not attended without notice delays the attention of another person in an urgent situation; it is also a matter of collective responsibility,” warns Corujo.
According to the city council argues, "the document confirms that the municipal social network has not only been maintained during the last year, but has expanded services in key areas such as childhood, equality, immigration, home care or family support".
However, the report also reflects that social demand continues to grow, which obliges the City Council to continue reinforcing resources and improving the organization of services.
“In two years we have made an important leap, but there is still a way to go. Our objective is clear: that no one in Arrecife is left without the attention they need,” concludes the councilwoman.
For the councilwoman, the 2025 Report confirms that the area has not only maintained its care network, but has also made it more agile and accessible, consolidating new resources that reinforce the social shield of the Lanzarotean capital.