International Journal of Emerging Research in Engineering, Science, and Management
Vol. 5, Issue 4, pp. 01-10, Oct-Dec 2026.
https://doi.org/10.58482/ijeresm.v5i4.1

Received: 12 Jun 2026 | Revised: 29 Sep 2026 | Accepted: 04 Oct 2026 | Published: 20 Oct 2026

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Child Maintenance and Social Assistance in Portugal: Benefit Interactions and Reform Options for the FGADM

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1Maria Rita Nunes

2Olga Monteiro

3Alvaro Rocha

1,2University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
3Lusofona University, Porto, Portugal

Abstract: State-guaranteed child maintenance can protect children against parental non-payment, yet its contribution may depend on how FGADM payments are treated in subsequent means-tested benefit assessments. This article examines Portugal’s Fundo de Garantia de Alimentos Devidos a Menores (FGADM) through documentary analysis of a public-administration training report, legislation, administrative guidance, and selected international research. It distinguishes access to the guarantee from the treatment of payments in subsequent means tests. The analysis identifies an explicit statutory classification of FGADM payments as maintenance income and examines a potential drafting gap. Illustrative calculations demonstrate how benefit withdrawal could reduce or absorb the incremental household resources associated with the guarantee under specified hypothetical assumptions. A comparison of reform options highlights trade-offs between adequacy, horizontal equity and implementation. The article proposes coordinated legislative revision and an evaluation framework, while making no causal claim about poverty reduction. Portugal’s 2026 social-assistance reform reinforces the need to analyze programmes together.

Keywords: Child maintenance, means testing, single-parent families, social assistance, Portugal.

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