Local System of Inclusive Care and Support Model · UNICEF Colombia
Your rights from birth, available monetary transfers and how to demand them from the municipality.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Colombia, recognizes that all persons with disabilities have the same rights as anyone else. Ruling C-400 of 2024 of the Constitutional Court recognized the fundamental right to care in three dimensions: caring, being cared for and self-care.
United Nations Convention, Article 19
Right to live in the community with equal choices, with the personal support and community services needed. The State must prevent isolation and institutionalization.
Law 1618 of 2012
Processed at the health institution where the person is enrolled. It is free and is the first requirement to access transfers, services and State programs.
Law 1996 of 2019
No one may decide on behalf of a person with a disability without their consent. Law 1996 eliminated judicial interdiction in Colombia.
Decree 1421 of 2017
No institution may deny access on grounds of disability. Persons with disabilities have the right to education in regular schools with reasonable accommodations from early childhood.
Law 2456 of 2025 / Renta Ciudadana
Households with persons with disabilities who require permanent care are entitled to monetary transfers from the State, through Renta Ciudadana and the National Protection Fund created by Law 2456 of 2025. See the Monetary transfers tab.
United Nations Convention, Article 16
Special protection against all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse, with particular attention to women and girls with disabilities.
Law 2297 of 2023 / Law 2456 of 2025
Caregivers are recognized by law as key actors in social welfare. They are entitled to monetary transfers, social security, training and mental health services. 33% of caregivers of persons with disabilities had to stop working to provide care.
Conpes 4143 of 2025 / Ruling C-400 of 2024
Caring should not require giving up work, one's own health or social life. The State must offer respite services and alternatives so that care does not become a poverty trap.
Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, 2025
Since 2025, families can access the Hogar Gestor program and the Centers for Support to Inclusion of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare without needing rights-restoration processes. Disability is not a rights violation.
National Policy for Family Support and Strengthening 2015–2025
The State is obliged to accompany, guide and provide services. Families do not face the upbringing and care of their members with disabilities alone.
If the family faces denial of services, access barriers or discriminatory treatment, they can go to the Municipal Ombudsperson's Office (Personería), the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) or file a tutela action. No lawyer is required and the judge must rule within 10 days.