Update 3.40pm - PN reaction

The police broke with standard procedure when they spoke to an underage boy involved in an alleged sexual abuse case without calling for a social worker, Family Minster Michael Farrugia said today.

While he would not confirm whether the police had broken any laws by interviewing the boy without a social worker present, Dr Farrugia said this was "not the way things should be done".

In a statement issued yesterday, the National Foster Care Association had expressed its concern at the way the case had been handled, saying the minister was duty-bound to issue an immediate care order in cases where serious abuse was alleged. 

The Child Protection Bill, being debated in Parliament next week, will set clear guidelines on how such cases should be handled.

Dr Farrugia also hit out at criticism that care orders were not being issued and that he had called for a go-slow.

"This is absolutely not true, I would never get involved in how these matters are handled. I leave this in the hands of the professionals," he said.

The legislative reform will put an end to the practice of the minister having the final say on care orders as his signature will no longer be needed.

 'Ministerial interference must stop' - PN

In a reaction, Nationalist Party social policy spokesperson Paula Mifsud Bonnici said that she was extremely concerned by police claims that "ministerial orders" had stopped them from issuing a care order in this particular case.

Dr Farrugia, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said, had presented no evidence for his allegations. 

"The Maltese people need a minister who can truly tackle the challenges families are facing, not one who attacks the police force," she said. 

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said she sympathised with the National Foster Care Association and the Maltese Social Workers Association, and called on the government to stop political interference in the sector.