According to the CASA report for 2021, there were 6,369 children and young people in residential and family care in Portugal. Of these, only 3.5% are in foster care. On average, they have been in foster care for 3.5 years and 23% have been in foster care for six years or more. This scenario is quite worrying, as it reflects a high number of children and young people in residential care, many of them for many years, deprived of a stable family context where they can grow, develop and belong. 

Aware of the need for some changes in the foster care system, the Amigos p'ra Vida project, in collaboration with the Portuguese Catholic University, is organizing a Congress on Foster Care in Portugal - (Re)Thinking the System, which will take place on 19 January 2024 on the Campus of the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon. The aim of this Congress is to bring together and listen to the various players in the system (young people, families, judges, technicians and academics) so that together we can find new and innovative solutions for this social problem.