The Consell merges Social Services and Justice into a single department

The Consell of the Generalitat Valenciana has reorganized its departmental structure through Decree 17/2026, of October 29, signed by President Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca and published in the Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana (DOGV) no. 10482, of October 29, 2026, with the official reference DOGV-C-2026-34059. The regulation integrates the competencies of the defunct Department of Social Services, Family and Childhood into the department competent in justice matters, which is now named the Department of Social Services and Justice. The decree entered into force on the day of its publication.

Eleven departments and the suppression of Article 8

Decree 17/2026 modifies Decree 16/2025, of December 3, which established the number and name of the departments (consellerias) and their competencies. The single article introduces three changes: it rewrites Article 1, suppresses Article 8, and provides a new wording for Article 12.

The Administration of the Consell is structured into eleven departments: the Presidency of the Generalitat and ten departments.

• First Vice-Presidency and Department of Housing, Employment, Youth and Equality
• Second Vice-Presidency and Department of the Presidency
• Third Vice-Presidency and Department of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery
• Department of Social Services and Justice
• Department of Economy, Finance and Public Administration
• Department of Health
• Department of Education, Culture and Universities
• Department of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries
• Department of Emergencies and Interior
• Department of Industry, Tourism, Innovation and Trade

The suppression of Article 8 removes from the articulated text the provision that covered the Department of Social Services, Family and Childhood, whose competencies are transferred in their entirety to the new department.

Social services, dependency, childhood and justice under a single portfolio

The new Article 12 details the distribution of powers. The Department of Social Services and Justice is assigned policies regarding social benefits, social services, dependency, the elderly, people with disabilities, families, childhood and adolescence, adoptions, development cooperation and social volunteering.

The same provision attributes to it the competencies in justice matters and the management of popular consultations, self-government, professional associations, foundations, associations, registries and notary services, data protection, transparency of public activity, good governance and citizen participation.

The single additional provision resolves the issue of regulatory references: mentions of the Department of Social Services, Family and Childhood and the Department of Justice, Transparency and Participation shall be understood as references to the Department of Social Services and Justice.

Administrative Continuity and Four Regional Secretariats

The sole transitional provision guarantees that the reorganization will not interrupt the management of administrative procedures or the provision of public services. Until the organic and functional development provisions are approved, the administrative units of both departments will continue to perform their functions under the authority of the competent bodies of the new conselleria, without prejudice to organizational, budgetary, and personnel adaptations.

Decree 19/2026, also of October 29 (DOGV-C-2026-34068), adapts Decree 18/2025, of December 4, regarding regional secretariats. The new conselleria will have four:

• Regional Secretariat for Social Services, Family, and Childhood
• Regional Secretariat for the Sociosanitary System
• Regional Secretariat for Justice and Self-Government
• Regional Secretariat for Transparency and Participation

All retain their previous names.

Appointment and Effects

Decree 18/2026, of October 29 (DOGV-C-2026-34065), provides for the dismissal of Nuria Martínez Sanchis as consellera of Justice, Transparency, and Participation and her appointment as consellera of Social Services and Justice. This decree takes effect the day following its publication, that is, October 30, 2026, unlike decrees 17/2026 and 19/2026, which have been in force since October 29.

The change comes after the dismissal of Elena Albalat Aguilella as consellera of Social Services, Family, and Childhood, arranged by Decree 16/2026, of October 25, effective as of the day of its publication. The social services portfolio thus remains without its own head for four days, and its structure becomes dependent on Justice.

Impact

The merger concentrates the management of dependency, childhood, and social services together with the administration of justice into a single department, meaning a single command assumes two very different areas of social spending and personnel. For the social services sector—social initiative entities, elderly centers, and disability care centers operating through concerted action—and for the public employees of both departments, the change necessitates the reallocation of units, budgets, and delegations of competence without interrupting ongoing processing.

Source: Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana, no. 10482, October 29, 2026, section I, page 1 (official reference: DOGV-C-2026-34059).