The foster care system in place is riddled with flaws that need to be addressed urgently to ensure children are adequately protected, a study commissioned by the Children’s Commission shows.
The study, Let Me Thrive: A Research Study on Foster Care in Malta, was conducted by Daniela DeBono and Marian Muscat Azzopardi in 2014 and 2015.
The researchers yesterday highlighted a major flaw in supervised access visits, or SAVs, which, they said, needed to be organised better to meet children’s needs.
Children they interviewed complained that they were not given enough support. Others spoke of the stigma they had to deal with being in foster care and the insecurities that came with its temporary nature.
“Some of them insisted on the potential value of building a healthy relationship with their social worker and the need for much more frequent contact with them.
Care workers identify a family for you and so on, but after a certain time, I don’t know what happens, they seem to forget about you
“The negative consequences of frequent changes in social workers and in SAV supervisors was also underscored,” the researchers wrote.
Dr DeBono and Dr Muscat Azzopardi interviewed 20 children who spoke of their experiences with fostering.
“I recommend fostering, but it is important to follow up fostered children. Many care workers identify a family for you and so on, but after a certain time, I do not know what happens, they seem to forget about you,” one of the children interviewed said.
The boy was expressing disappointment at what he considered to be the manner in which social services had left him unsupported once he had been placed in a foster family. He suggested meeting social workers should take place at least once a week.
“You need help to cope mentally. Although the anger is great and, maybe, the support does not help, it is important we support the children. Otherwise, what happened to me can happen to others,” he said, referring to the breakdown of family placement as a result of his behaviour.
A number of the children interviewed also complained about the frequent change in social workers, admitting they did not feel at ease with those offering help because they often did not have the opportunity to build a relationship.
“It is not right that the child’s social worker changes frequently. My social worker was changed about seven times and, every time, you need to speak about your situation and you must trust them without knowing anything about them, and that is very, very difficult.
“I mean, it is even difficult for the parents themselves to have to explain afresh the family background to another person,” another child, who had praised the system overall, told the researchers.
The final chapter of the study includes recommendations by the Commissioner for Children, Pauline Miceli. She highlights the importance of promoting permanency planning to ensure children are exposed to as much stability as possible, even if they had to be put in foster care.
She called for adequate budget allocations that would allow those involved in the children’s lives to provide all the necessary support as well as measures to give children a voice through the adoption of an action plan that could provide a “holistic strategy”.
Let Me Thrive will be available to the public at www.tfal.org.mt in the coming days.