Canary Islands creates the figure of the facilitator in courts and prosecutor's offices

The Government of the Canary Islands has approved Decree 145/2026, of September 15, which regulates the role of the facilitator to provide support to people with disabilities and elderly people in the judicial and fiscal offices of the Autonomous Community. The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) no. 190, of September 22, 2026, and will enter into force twenty days after its publication. The text is signed by the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo Batlle, and by the Councilor for the Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice, and Security, Nieves Lady Barreto Hernández.

The decree consists of sixteen articles structured into five chapters, in addition to three additional provisions, one transitional provision, and two final provisions. Its objective is to guarantee access to justice under conditions of equality, in line with Article 24 of the Spanish Constitution, Article 13 of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Law 8/2021, of June 2, which reformed civil and procedural legislation regarding legal capacity. Specifically, it aligns with Article 27 of Royal Decree 193/2023, of March 21, which already provided for the promotion of this role within the Administration of Justice.

The initiative is based on report no. 178/2026, of May 14, from the Consultative Council of the Canary Islands, and on the regional competence over the Administration of Justice set out in Articles 85 to 88 of the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands. The council office had already launched a pilot project in the judicial district of Arrecife to translate judicial documentation into easy-to-read formats, as well as a support program with companion animals for minor victims in the Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Who is served and in what scope

Coverage extends to all judicial and fiscal proceedings carried out within the territorial scope of the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands, throughout the entire process. The recipients are:

• People with disabilities.
• People aged sixty-five or older who request it.
• People aged eighty or older, even if they do not request it.

The facilitator works with the justice system personnel to ensure effective communication, without speaking on behalf of the recipients or influencing their decisions. Their functions are to inform, design, and facilitate the necessary adjustments and supports, and whenever possible, the continuity of the same professional throughout the procedure is guaranteed.

Requirements, designation, and regional registry

Professionals with degrees in law, social education, speech therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, pedagogy, psychopedagogy, or criminology may be appointed, provided they prove specific qualification in intellectual disability and forensic psychology through one of these means:

• A minimum of 200 hours of specific training in care for people with disabilities.
• A certifying title as facilitating personnel in judicial processes.
• At least one year of work experience in centers or entities providing care for people with disabilities and elderly people.

When the recipient is a minor, an additional 60 hours of training in childhood and adolescence are required, as well as the absence of a criminal record in the Central Registry of Sexual Offenders and Human Traffickers. The appointment corresponds to the judicial or prosecutorial body, either ex officio or at the request of a party, and the decree creates the Canarian Administrative Registry of Facilitating Personnel, attached to the department competent in justice matters and managed by the General Directorate of Relations with the Administration of Justice. Registration is resolved within a maximum period of two months, with negative administrative silence, and is valid for two years, tacitly renewable for annual periods. The registry is grouped by judicial district and also includes an insular registry.

Remuneration and implementation schedule

The actions of the facilitators will be remunerated with the following payments, IGIC included:

• 90 euros for the report on adaptations and supports, extendable to 120 euros in cases of special complexity.
• 50 euros for accompaniment to the judicial headquarters at the request of the judicial or prosecutorial body.
• Travel, maintenance, and overnight expenses when travel to another island is required.

There will be no remuneration when the action is performed by public employees and the recipient has the status of a victim according to Law 4/2015, of April 27, on the Statute of the Victim of Crime. Implementation will be progressive: from 2026 in criminal matters, from 2027 in civil order bodies, and from 2028 in the remaining judicial bodies. The competent General Directorate will have one year to develop the computer application for the registry and may sign agreements with Third Sector entities.

The regulation turns cognitive accessibility into an enforceable right within the Canarian judicial process and extends protection to a group that previously lacked a specific channel: people over eighty years old may have support even if they do not request it. The staggered deployment and the creation of the registry will ensure that the service effectively reaches all judicial districts of the archipelago.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 190, of September 22, 2026, section I. General provisions, pages 35038-35051 (official reference: BOC-A-2026-190-3297).