This chapter details the progression of Spanish residential care through a period of civil war followed by 40 years of dictatorship, when large institutions prevailed. The arrival of a democratic government in the late 1970s marked the beginning of a period of transformation in child welfare, including the introduction of family foster care and the expansion of family support services, the evolution of standards for residential care, and the development of research alliances with Spanish universities to identify effective strategies for residential staff training. Spain’s residential care population includes a high percentage of unaccompanied minors who, along with youth who present with severe behavioral and emotional problems, are a present focus of concern
