Generalitat ordered Huize Soria, the Aspe youth centre criticised by former residents, to close

The Generalitat ordered Huize Soria, a residential centre for young people from the Netherlands in the La Ofra area of Aspe, to cease operating immediately after determining that it lacked authorisation to provide care services for minors. The decision was taken on 29 September 2026 under Valencian Law 3/2019 on inclusive social services.

The centre has also come under scrutiny over allegations by former residents, who described alleged physical and psychological abuse, punishments and restrictions on their freedom. These are testimonies, not facts established by a court. Huize Soria’s management rejects the allegations, says they give a false impression of the centre and has announced legal action for defamation and slander.

An investigation by the Dutch programme Nieuwsuur gathered testimonies from 16 former residents; four spoke on camera. The practices alleged include food being reduced, physical punishments and workdays involving up to six hours of tasks. These allegations should be distinguished from the administrative reason for the closure: the lack of authorisation to care for minors.

Huize Soria had been operating for nearly two decades and had cared for Dutch teenagers with behavioural problems. In September, the centre was home to seven minors. After the closure order, the centre said it was arranging their return to the Netherlands.

Concerns about the treatment of the young people predated this. In 2021, five of them approached the children’s ombudsman for the Amsterdam region. A subsequent independent assessment described a repressive culture and restrictive measures which, it concluded, undermined the rights of minors. UNICEF Netherlands called for an independent investigation and said that warnings about their safety had not been taken seriously enough.

The case affects Aspe and the province as a whole because the centre cared for foreign minors and was subject to a Generalitat closure order. The administrative decision and the allegations about its care methods are separate matters: the former was based on the lack of authorisation, while the organisation denies the latter.

News prepared by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.