Abstract
The National System for the Integral Development of the Family of Mexico is the governmental institution that provides child protective services and coordinates and regulates the Mexican Social Welfare System. More information is needed on the effects of the system’s interventions on children and adolescents in residential care. This study examines the degree to which this governmental organization has protected, promoted, fulfilled, guaranteed, and strengthened the rights of sheltered children and adolescents, thus fostering their well-being. One hundred sixty-five case files from December 1, 2018, to August 1, 2022, were reviewed and analyzed thoroughly following the steps to content analysis of Bless et al. (2013) and Bardin (2015). The main findings revealed that the investment of the governmental institution in protecting children’s rights is still insufficient and inefficient, that the rights of children and adolescents placed in residential care have been partially fulfilled or unfulfilled, and that this governmental organization has yet to comply with current Mexican legislation. This study is the first to examine the protection and restitution of the rights of Mexican children and adolescents placed in residential care in governmental organizations. This research will encourage the design and implementation of effective research-based programs and policies that protect and restitute sheltered children’s rights and positively impact their well-being to promote healthier developmental trajectories, especially in the context of Latin American cities.