Children with a disability have missed out on months of treatment at Razzett tal-Ħbiberija simply because the legal framework safeguarding the learning support assistants who accompany them is not yet in place.
The Malta Union of Teachers last November directed learning support assistants not to perform their duties at the Park of Friendship because it was unclear who would shoulder responsibility in case of an accident.
Concern was raised when the union found there was no official agreement between the Education Division and the park, union president John Bencini told The Sunday Times.
"There is no legal framework to protect the learning support assistants when they take the children to Razzett tal-Ħbiberija. If an accident happens while the children are at the park, the government - which is the assistants' employer - is not responsible," he said. More than 1,000 learning support assistants are employed with the government.
The fact that children have missed out on months of precious treatment was described as "pathetic" by the park's chief executive, Nathan Farrugia, who added that Razzett tal-Ħbiberija had long been proposing a formal agreement.
The programme offered for free at the park - which includes multi-sensory therapy, hydrotherapy and horse-riding - promotes individual development, teaches children new skills and helps them learn through non-academic experiences.
Mr Farrugia asked how long it would take for the formal agreement to be signed, pointing out that the youngsters were losing out on valuable education in the meantime. He said that although the education authorities had agreed to sign an interim agreement with the park last January, this had not materialised.
Mr Bencini said once the legal framework was in place, the union would have no objection to assistants taking children to the park to follow the programme.
When contacted, a spokesman for the Education Division said it was in the process of creating the necessary protocols for such activities and would eventually issue calls for interest from those organisations interested and capable of providing various services needed by the division. These include services like those provided by Razzett tal-Ħbiberija.
"Obviously, this process might take some time, but we can assure you that such a process is underway and will be concluded in the shortest time possible," the spokesman said.
He said the visits to Razzett tal-Ħbiberija had to be suspended temporarily since the MUT was insisting that the role of learning support assistants did not exactly match what they were doing with the students when taken to the park.
The park spends some €18,600 (around Lm8,000) a year in transport for the children to attend the programmes and over €4,600 (Lm2,000) a month in wages for qualified staff, such as a horse-riding and occupational therapists.