MPs call for stronger support to foster families

The Foster Care Bill continued to find the support of both sides of the House yesterday, with MPs stressing the need for better state support for foster families as well as underlining the importance of preparation for such families.

Nationalist MP Joseph Cassar said that while between eight and 10 per cent of children living with their natural families could have mental health problems, research showed that this percentage rose to 57 per cent in the case of children living with foster families since these children would have suffered a trauma in their life.

The language used by children to show psychological symptoms was the language of behaviour. One could not expect children who would have gone through such difficult circumstances to have impeccable behaviour. Raising such children, therefore, was a bigger challenge for the families taking care of them.

Educators and people working close to these children should be more aware of the signals which these children would be giving them because this would make the job of foster carers easier.

Dr Cassar referred to the Fostering Board being set up by this Bill to assess potential foster carers, among other functions. One had to be careful to understand that parents who would have raised a family were not necessarily suitable to foster a child, he said, and foster carers required a lot of training.

One had to live with such children 24 hours a day seven days a week to really know what it meant to live with a child with challenging behaviour.

The Bill, he observed, also provided for a Central Authority whose role would be regulatory. Having such an authority was important for standards to be maintained and the interests of children to be respected.

This Bill, he said, was giving the children a voice in that it provided that there had to be a foster care agreement between foster carers and accredited placement agencies governing the responsibilities of the carers over all important areas, including health, education and maintenance. Indeed, this was a system of checks and balances from which the children would benefit.

Dr Cassar said he agreed with Labour MP Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca on the need to improve the state allowance to foster parents.

Similarly, he agreed on the need to further improve the Child Support Services particularly by increasing the number of psychologists.

Labour MP Joe Brincat said he had certain misgivings on fostering as a result of his experience in the legal field. The Bill created a structure within a structure within a structure and failed to provide clear parameters for fostering. He felt it should have concentrated on the parameters of what fostering was really all about.

Most times, fostering was the result of necessity but there were some cases when fostering was actually resorted to meet the needs of the parents rather than the needs of the child.

The Bill, therefore, needed to clearly establish under which circumstances fostering should be allowed. The clearer the parameters were, the better.

Nationalist MP Frederick Azzopardi said this Bill was of huge importance because the individual and the family formed the core of society. Children's character was formed by the environment around them and no environment was better than that of a family.

This Bill was another link in a series of developments aimed at improving children's rights and the services given to children, ensuring that no one fell behind.

The government was consistently involving civil society in its endeavours. Civil Society was extensively consulted before legislative enactments, and partnerships with the private sector, including NGOs, were formed for the provision of care services.

Mr Azzopardi observed that 80 per cent of children in children's homes could be fostered but, unfortunately, there were not enough foster parents for this to happen. This Bill would hopefully improve this situation because the children who were given the opportunity to live within a family had made significant progress.

Labour MP Karl Chircop said that while fostering services had been provided for quite some time in Malta, the need for a proper legislative set-up to assist its development was undoubted.

This Bill would make for a more professional and efficient foster care service for the benefit of society.

Dr Chircop referred to the Fostering Board, saying that although the board was required to meet within 48 hours in emergencies, as requested by the police or the minister, he felt the Bill should require meetings to be held sooner.

The board had a central role as it would evaluate potential foster carers and home study reports drawn up by social workers. Since children came from different backgrounds some foster carers might not be suitable for some children, such as those who came from families where there were drug and alcohol problems. Matching children with the most suitable carers was at the heart of the foster care process.

It was important for the board to specify which form of foster care should be given by the carer. Foster children might not need to stay with their carers all the time but could be allowed to spend some time with their natural parents, in certain instances.

It was important that the board provided official documentation to the foster carers to assist them in their care of the children.

He also suggested the creation of an official reception centre under the responsibility of Appogg where children facing problems could be placed until a decision about their future was taken.

Dr Chircop underlined the need for confidentiality in fostering proceedings, more so in Malta where everybody seemed to know everybody else.

He pointed out that there was a situation where Maltese couples were, even in an unofficial manner, fostering the children of illegal immigrants. This was a new phenomenon which should be evaluated.

Turning to the Central Authority, Dr Chircop asked what parameters would be used for the authority to accredit fostering agencies.

Dr Chircop also underlined the need for state support for foster carers. He said such assistance could also be in the form of medical care, for example.

The rest of the sitting will be reported tomorrow.