PAD: Care Programme for Women with Support Needs in Exercising their Legal Capacity (Barcelona)

The Care Programme for Women with Support Needs in Exercising their Legal Capacity was created to offer the women it supports specific responses to their needs and particular circumstances, through comprehensive support and intervention with a gender perspective.

The general objective of this programme is to provide comprehensive, specialised and intensive support and care by a team trained in the gender perspective, in order to assist women with modified legal capacity who are in vulnerable situations, providing individualised guidance, advice and follow-up.

Furthermore, given the situations of gender violence (in its different forms) that the women go through, we consider that incorporating the gender perspective is essential, and it is systematically included in the design, planning, implementation and evaluation of the actions carried out by the service.

Incorporating the gender perspective in the implementation of this PAD-T (Care Programme for Women within the framework of Legal Guardianship) means taking into account the social construction of gender and its repercussions, which are aggravated in women experiencing mental health processes, residential exclusion and the use of toxic substances.

The PAD-T offers a safe and trusted space for guidance, follow-up and advice for women with modified legal capacity. It also aims to contribute to incorporating the gender perspective into the care provided by other professionals.

The activities carried out include the following:

• Initial individual intake interviews, with the aim of providing basic information about the PAD-T
• Individual follow-up interviews in a safe and trusted space to explore, analyse and draw up the Individualised Work Plan (PTI), responding to needs and particular circumstances in relation to gender violence.
• Exploring and detecting possible situations that require specific and specialised support to address possible situations of gender violence, discrimination and stigma.
• In situations of family risk, providing specialised support for specific and complex situations in coordination with the public network and third-sector organisations.
• Six-monthly reviews of the individualised work plans.
• Coordination meetings between professionals and family reference persons.
• Coordination meetings with the professionals of the specific services to which women are referred.

The PAD-T aims to facilitate the integration of women with modified legal capacity; to provide specialised support; to promote the visibility, awareness and reporting of gender violence among the women supported by the service; to promote links with specific care networks; and to define specific pathways for homeless women and/or women who have experienced gender violence and/or who use drugs.