Valencia, May 19 — Orihuela’s Councillor for Family, Mª Carmen Portugal, travelled to Valencia on Monday to hold a series of working meetings with senior officials from the Generalitat Valenciana to address the pressing needs of families in the municipality. The initiative aimed to strengthen institutional cooperation and ensure that Orihuela’s families are represented and supported at the regional level.
“Our goal is to remain an active voice for Orihuela’s families,” said Councillor Portugal. “We are listening to their needs and bringing their concerns to the relevant authorities so we can work together on real, effective solutions.”
The day began with a meeting between Portugal and Angélica Such Ronda, Director General of Family, Childhood, Adolescence and Demographic Challenge, along with Ignacio Grande Ballesteros, Regional Secretary for Family and Social Services. During the session, Orihuela’s delegation presented the newly compiled report “Portrait of Orihuela’s Families 2024”, which outlines the social and familial realities of the municipality and provides a valuable roadmap for future public policies.
In response, Grande announced that the Valencian government would revive the Valencian Family Observatory, a move that aligns with Orihuela’s own establishment of a local Family Observatory earlier this year. Notably, Grande also serves as honorary president of Orihuela’s observatory. Portugal welcomed the news, describing the observatory as “a key tool to improve institutional coordination and provide faster, more effective responses to the real needs of Valencian families.”
The councillor also met with Daniel McEvoy Bravo, Regional Secretary for Education, to discuss challenges faced by local early childhood education centres. Portugal emphasized staffing issues and the difficulty in meeting demand for places in the crucial 1–2-year-old age group — a concern for many families trying to balance work and childcare.
The meetings marked a significant step in fostering closer collaboration between Orihuela’s local administration and regional bodies, with the shared aim of tailoring public policies to the realities of modern family life. “We’re committed to ongoing dialogue and cooperation to ensure families in Orihuela get the attention and support they deserve,” Portugal concluded.
