Standards and governance

Portugal’s approach to youth‑friendly health services is aligned with global benchmarks established by the World Health Organisation (Organização Mundial da Saúde, OMS), which require accessibility, confidentiality, non‑judgemental care, appropriate opening hours and environments tailored to adolescents’ needs. These principles form the basis for national implementation and quality standards. 

National clinical guidance is further informed by the Portuguese Society of Paediatrics (Sociedade Portuguesa de Pediatria, SPP), which emphasises integrated adolescent care, professional training in youth communication, confidentiality guarantees and multi‑disciplinary team structures. Its technical recommendations reinforce the need for adolescent‑specific environments across primary care and hospital services. 

Youth‑friendly provision in primary care

A key national reference model is the APARECE – Youth Health Unit (Aparece – Saúde Jovem), integrated into primary care in Lisbon. It offers free, confidential, walk‑in access for young people aged 12–24, delivered by a multi‑disciplinary team—including general practitioners, nurses, psychologists and social workers—and provides support on mental health, sexual and reproductive health, substance use and nutrition. The model has demonstrated high uptake and continuity of care among adolescents. 

Its establishment is grounded in national legislation governing youth access to reproductive health, including Law No. 3/84 (Lei n.º 3/84) on sexual education and family planning, and subsequent legal updates extending the scope of sexual and reproductive‑health consultations across the national health network. 

Accessibility, equity and confidentiality

Youth‑friendly services in Portugal are expected to remove structural and behavioural barriers to access. This includes:

• Free care at the point of use for sexual and reproductive‑health consultations.
• Extended or flexible opening hours adapted to adolescents’ daily schedules.
• Confidentiality guarantees without parental presence when clinically and legally appropriate.
• Geographic accessibility through integration in primary‑care units, community settings and mobile health units.

These principles support smooth transitions from adolescence to adulthood, especially in long‑term conditions, sexual health and mental‑health care pathways. 

Workforce and training

To ensure quality youth‑friendly care, national legal reforms—such as the 2025 update of Law No. 3/84 extending family‑planning consultations to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health—require that professionals working in these services receive training in non‑discrimination, sexual‑health literacy, adolescent development, and risk‑behaviour prevention. This includes staff in primary‑care centres, hospitals, youth‑health offices and municipal services. 

The Portuguese Society of Paediatrics also highlights the need for adolescent‑health training for paediatricians, nurses and other professionals, reinforcing continuous education as part of service quality standards. 

Integration with youth policies and community services

Youth‑friendly health services complement broader national youth‑policy frameworks. The Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude, IPDJ) coordinates youth‑health initiatives, including health‑literacy programmes, counselling units and mobile services reaching underserved areas. These initiatives ensure coherence between health promotion, prevention and young people’s engagement with community services. 

Municipalities and school networks further contribute to accessibility by hosting youth‑health sessions, collaborating with primary‑care teams and supporting local implementation of sexual‑health and mental‑health education activities.