[en] Introduction: It is estimated that the number of children cared for by the child protection system in Spain is close to 40,000 every year. Research on the health of these children shows many shortcomings, which are aggravated when they are in residential care. This is why we must promote foster care for the alternative care of babies, children and adolescents without parental protection. Objectives: The aim of this review is to try to understand and identify the psychosocial reality of minors who are in a situation of neglect. The main objective is to disseminate the importance and necessity of this last resource in our territory, as well as to give visibility to the figure of nursing in this field. Methodology: A search was carried out in data bases specialised in the area of health sciences and in some journals specialised in social sciences. After this, 15 articles met the established inclusion criteria. Discussion: Six of the selected articles show the health problems related to foster care or the previous history of these children; five of them present the benefits of foster care; while four of them give us a vision of the crucial nursing in this field. Conclusion: Institutionalised children present more problems than those found in the general population, which is why they should receive greater attention from the responsible entities and authorities. All these problems show us the need, on, for one hand, of the importance of promoting foster care and, on the other hand, the importance of an adequate health follow-up.

[gl] Introducción: Estímase que o número de nenos/as atendidos polo sistema de protección infantil en España acércase cada ano aos 40.000 . A investigación sobre a salud de estos nenos/as evidencia moitas carencias, as cales agrávanse cando se encontran en réximen residencial. É por isto que debemos fomentar a modalidade de acollemento familiar para o coidado alternativo de bebés, nenos/as e adolescentes sin protección parental. Obxetivos: Coa realización de esta revisión inténtase comprender e identificar a realidade psicosocial dos menores que se encontran en situación de desamparo. O obxetivo principal é difunfir a importancia e necesidade de este último recurso no noso territorio, así como dar visibilidade a figura de enfermería neste ámbito. Metodoloxía Levouse a cabo unha búsqueda en bases de datos especializadas no área das ciencias da saúde e nalgunhas revistas especializadas en ciencias sociais. Tras isto, 15 artículos cumpriron cos criterios de inclusión establecidos. Discusión:-Seis dos artículos seleccionados mostran os problemas de saúde relacionados co acollemento ou a historia previa de estos menores; cinco deles nos presentan os beneficios do acogellemento familiar; mentres que catro, dannos una visión da enfermería crucial neste ámbito. Conclusión: Os nenos/as institucionalizados presentan más problemas de todo tipo que os encontrados na poboación xeral, polo que deberían recibir unha mellor atención por parte das entidades e autoridades responsables. Todos estes problemas móstranos a necesidade, por un lado, da importancia que ten promover os acollementos familiares e polo outro, a importancia de realizar un adecuado seguemento da saúde.