Children are now and we can’t keep them waiting

Babies with cigarette burns and toddlers with head injuries, caused because they did not stop crying, are a few examples of children who need better protection, according to consultant paediatrician Chris Fearne.

Once taken away from the dangerous situation at home, we are still not giving them what they need

As a surgeon who works with children, Dr Fearne said he often came across such cases of abuse.

His involvement in Celebrities for Kids, an NGO that champions children’s rights, led him to realise there were several structural problems that compound these children’s problems.

“Social workers tell me care orders are carried out when the case reaches an extreme because government has no place where to keep these children,” he said.

“Then, once taken away from the dangerous situation at home, we are still not giving these children what they need,” he added, as he gave the example of a 15-year-old girl who lived alone.

Dr Fearne was speaking during a conference entitled The Disadvantaged Child: Problems and Solutions, organised by YMCA Homeless and Celebrities for Kids.

He stressed that disadvantaged children were not limited to those who were abused and neglected but also those who had health, mental health or learning problems.

“Every week kids come to my clinic suffering from tummy aches... it turns out this is stress related, either because they are being pushed too hard to do well at school or because they have problems at school,” he said.

He spoke about the need for more personalised care and more resources and funds to be invested in social services.

Building on the same argument, YMCA Homeless chairman Jean Paul Mifsud said it was important to ensure services were timely as “some kids have immediate issues”.

He gave the example of a 13-year-old toothless girl, from a troubled family, who had to wait for 18 months for the government’s social structures to come to the conclusion that no one could provide her with teeth.

The teenager was eventually provided with a set of teeth when a private dentist stepped in voluntarily and “she could smile, finally”. A voluntary worker who spoke later said he knew the girl, who was now 17 and lived with a group of adult men.

Mr Mifsud questioned why children were being placed on waiting lists and, like Dr Fearne, stressed on the importance of having services that immediately targeted their individual needs.

He pointed out that various people who attended yesterday’s conference listed the same concerns in a form they were asked to fill in. These included the lack of a Children’s Act, severe lack of placements, excessive bureaucracy and the need for more cooperation between stakeholders.

He said the lack of resources was leading to children with mental health problems being detained in adult wards and, last year, a 16-year-old girl was kept in solitary confinement at the Corradino Correctional Facility.

“Worst still, dear minister, this incident was denied... I know it is a shameful incident but let’s make sure it won’t happen again,” Mr Mifsud told Family Minister Chris Said.

Dr Said, who spoke earlier, thanked all voluntary organisations who worked for the benefit of children. He said the government was committed to work towards meeting the needs of children. Last November the Children’s Policy was launched for consultation.

An action plan would now be released, he said, and this would include offering services for young women from troubled backgrounds who ended up at Mount Carmel Hospital for lack of better services.

A home will open in Birżebbuġa to cater for children with behavioural problems and take in some children being kept at Mount Carmel’s young person’s unit.

Former Children’s Commissioner Sonia Camilleri said it was time for action as she was tired of hearing about the same problems.

“Five years ago we published a report to say why children should not be kept at Mount Carmel... What happened since? Children are now. We can’t keep waiting,” she said, as she told those present that she admired their perseverance.

Consequences of maltreatment

About 12 per cent of fifth form state school students suffered some form of maltreatment ranging from emotional to physical or sexual abuse, a studyhas shown.

Almost 17 per cent of the 406 students interviewed experienced two forms of maltreatment and 11 per cent three forms, explained Dr Mariella Mangion, a consultant paediatrician who works in close collaboration with social workers.

Speaking during the conference, she outlined the effect that maltreatment had on children. In extreme cases it could lead to death with one to two children being killed weekly in the UK.

Maltreatment could lead to physical injuries such as fractures and burns. Research has also established links between child maltreatment and obesity, eating disorders, mental health problems, substance abuse, learning difficulties and poor social skills.

What needs to be done? *

• Offer personalised services to meet different children’s needs.
• Teach health care and other professionals to recognise child maltreatment.
• Implement parenting skills programmes.
• Prevention programmes in schools.
• Therapeutic services for children and their families.
• An alternative to prison and Mount Carmel for young people.
• Better coordination among stakeholders.
• Children need to be heard more.
• More empowerment of the Children’s Commissioner.

*Points raised throughout the conference.