Familias en Acción is a public program of the national government of Colombia. The purpose of this social assistance plan is to help increase or, in specific cases, maintain the children of families in poverty or extreme poverty. It is an attempt to provide a better future and life for Colombian families. If you are interested in registering, do not hesitate to review what follows.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Find out what Familias en Acción is for
Step 1. Find out what this program is about
As already mentioned, it is a social assistance plan that benefits people who are in a state of poverty or extreme poverty due to different circumstances.
Step 2. Find out if you belong to the beneficiary population
Although it is specifically intended to help those most in need, there are also certain specifications. The most important is that it supports families with children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
Step 3. Learn about the benefits
It consists of financial support for maintenance, healthy eating, growth and development controls on time, and permanence in the school system.
Part 2 of 3: Inquire into the supports offered by Familias en Acción
Step 1. Stay tuned for the benefits of the program
Familias en Acción seeks to ensure the nutritional maintenance of the children and adolescents of the families for 12 months; a 10-month school subsidy is also offered.
- This support is paid bimonthly.
- Remember that it is aimed at the poorest families, that is, those belonging to level 1 of the Identification System of Potential Beneficiaries of Social Programs (SISBEN), that is, the most vulnerable families or individuals or those with a greater degree of marginalization.
Step 2. Know specifically what financial support for health consists of
It is an incentive that helps children develop, grow properly and, above all, do not have a lack of nutrition, food and health services. An incentive is given for each family with one or more children under 7 years of age.
- The incentive is awarded every two months for one year (6 times).
- You can be a beneficiary up to one day before your children turn 7 years old.
- Do not forget that an essential requirement to continue maintaining the incentives is that your children attend all the growth and development controls, according to their age, scheduled throughout the year in a timely manner.
Step 3. Distinguish the benefits of educational support
Although the two incentives are part of the same program, it is important to note the differences. The most transcendental is that the incentive for education is individual, unlike the health one, that is, support is provided for each boy, girl or adolescents between 5 and 18 years of age who are in the school system.
- The benefit is received bimonthly in a period of 10 months a year (5 times), the support ends when the end of course holidays arrive.
- The beneficiary family, upon receiving the incentive, commits to two things: on the one hand, that the children attend at least 80% of the classes; on the other, the little ones cannot miss more than two years of school.
- Certain age exceptions can be considered, benefits are even granted for boys over 18, 19 or even 20 years of age. The condition is that those of 18 or 19 must be studying the tenth grade and those of 20, the eleventh.
Step 4. Find out how the benefits of the education incentive are shared
In Familias en Acción, three differentiated and independent educational benefits are provided, which are granted according to the age, grade or condition of the beneficiary.
- For families with students in grades one through eleven, a maximum of three supports are awarded. In Bogotá, support is only offered to sixth through eleventh grade students.
- Incentive for children and adolescents with disabilities, they must study and be identified by both the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the School Enrollment System. In Bogotá, this incentive is not given between grades zero and five.
- For children five or six years of age in transition or grade zero, a different incentive is granted than that for first through eleventh. This support is not considered in Bogotá.
Part 3 of 3: Get into Families in Action
Step 1. See if you are part of the beneficiary population
For families to be able to access this incentive, they must be part of one of the beneficiary population groups, which are made up of people in a state of marginalization, poverty or extreme poverty.
- The beneficiary groups are the victims of displacement, indigenous communities, families belonging to the United Network or those that have the SISBEN score required by the program.
- Displacement victims and members of indigenous groups have priority, since they are considered the most vulnerable people in society.
Step 2. Sign up for the program
If you are a victim of displacement or if there will soon be registrations in your municipality or indigenous community, report immediately to the municipal liaison office or to the place designated for registration.
Step 3. Gather your documentation
Enrollment in the program can only be done by the mother or the legal guardian of the children. The person must appear in person with originals and photocopies of the requested documents.
- These are: original and current identification of the mother or legal guardian, current civil registration of all the infants in the family, identity card for children over 7 years of age and citizenship card of young people over 18 years of age. For children from 0 to 7 years old, the mother or guardian must present the growth and development control card. For those of school age, the mother or holder must carry a study certificate from the educational institution specifying the degree that the minor is studying
- When the mother is absent due to death, loss of civil rights or detention, serious illness or disability, or abandonment of minors, the adult who is in charge of the infants must present a legal custody document, this is granted by a family judge, the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), valid for SISBEN, United and displaced families, or the indigenous authority, valid for indigenous families. This is very important, as certificates of care are not accepted.
Advice
- Remember, if you don't need support, don't take it away from someone who does.
- First of all, take the SISBEN test, this is how you can see your true economic and social situation.
- Gather your documentation in advance and make sure you bring everything requested, so you don't waste time.
- Try to have your children's documentation in order so that there are no problems.