A national centre combining adoption and fostering services would be set up to reduce red tape under a draft parenting policy released for public consultation yesterday.
The centre would help amalgamate the common elements of the two areas.
“There is a bit of overlap and some grey areas in the legislation of adoption and fostering and we want to remove these – for example children who are in foster care but eligible for adoption have to go through the same screening procedures twice over,” Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia said at a press conference yesterday.
The Positive Parenting Policy was an electoral promise to help children grow in a healthy, conducive environment.
Children who are in foster care but eligible for adoption have to go through the same screening procedures twice over
Angela Abela, head of the Department of Family Studies, said a number of services already on offer fell under the remit of different departments and ministries.
These would have to be consolidated and would be complemented by targeted interventions – especially for parents considered to be most at risk.
There would also be a push for early detection of difficulties being faced by families in order to provide a “targeted intervention”.
The policy depends on more specialised training being offered to professional staff working with children and families and also on an increase in the number of professionals working with parents, said Dr Abela, who co-authored the draft policy.
It calls for better support for children and their relatives in the Family Court and strengthening of the Office of Child Advocates while investing in more psychologists and family therapists.
Grandparents were also mentioned, given their important child-rearing role, and the document suggested having specifically targeted courses for them.
A holistic approach was needed to prepare people for parenthood, taking into account the relationship between both parents and their child. This should start at existing Parent Craft antenatal courses.
In fact, the policy suggests that these courses, together with postnatal visits and the Well Baby Clinic, could offer more specialised attention: more could be done to support parents who have babies with a difficult temperament, for example.
Childcare centres and schools could also become strong support systems for parents.
Similarly, community services offered by government-run Aċċess centres and family resource centres could be strengthened and reach out further into society.
Turning to adolescents with challenging behaviour, the document calls for treatment in a therapeutic community away from a psychiatric setting, with a focus on reintegrating the youngsters at school and home.
The policy will be implemented by a task force, which is expected to be set up by January and led by the Social Solidarity Ministry. A number of public consultation meetings will also be held.
The document is available on the ministry’s website and feedback can be sent in by the end of this year to the Social Solidarity Ministry, Palazzo Ferreria, Republic Street, Valletta or e-mail positiveparentingpolicy@gov.mt.