The mother of a 14-year-old drug addict, who beat up his three younger siblings while intoxicated, needs help controlling her son and is calling on the authorities to urgently set up rehabilitation facilities for adolescents.

“I don’t know what to do with him. Sometimes I go days without knowing where he is. I have had to report my own son to police because he hurt my other children. If they’re going to set up a rehab programme for these children, they should do so immediately,” the 38-year-old single mother said, adding that her three younger children were removed from her custody in March.

“I’m not only speaking up for myself, but also for other parents who I know remain silent not to show that their children have this problem,” she said as she glanced at a framed picture of her children hanging on the wall of her otherwise bare apartment.

The reality of the problem was flagged in February during a conference on drugs organised by the Swieqi local council. Experts warned about the “gaping hole” in social services due to the lack of facilities to cater for the “worrying new increase” in drug addicts aged as young as 12. The problem is that the residential rehabilitation centres run by NGOs, such as Caritas, only cater for adults.

A spokeswoman for the Social Solidarity Ministry recognised that there was a lack of such services pointing out it had been a problem for the past 20 years. Over the past few months, she said, minister Michael Farrugia led delegations to Portugal, Slovakia and Norway to explore programmes for such rehabilitation services.

When he started leaving black eyes and cigarette burns on his brothers and sisters I had to report

Plans were now under way to offer these services, the spokeswoman said without giving a definite time frame. But the mother, who has six children in all (the eldest two being 21 and 17), feels these services should be introduced as soon as possible.

“I don’t want to go and wake up my son in the morning and find him dead,” she said, sitting at her kitchen table and nervously lighting a cigarette. Her partner, who is the father of her four younger children, is currently serving a three-year jail term for theft so she is raising their children alone. She struggles to make ends meet and works long hours as a taxi driver.

Two years ago, when her 14-year-old was still 12, he started hanging around with bad company and taking synthetic drugs, like ecstasy. His attitude changed. He became more aggressive and started getting into trouble at school and skiving. Inevitably, he even started getting into trouble with the law and was caught stealing.

Her son also became aggressive at home with his three younger siblings – two sisters aged 13 and 12 and a 10-year-old brother.

“The drugs turn him into someone else. He even stole money from me and his 17-year-old brother. I didn’t report those cases. But when he started leaving black eyes and cigarette burns on his brothers and sisters I had to file a report,” she said.

Her son was sent to a home for children with behavioural problems but, after he ran away, the home no longer wanted to take responsibility for him – leaving him completely in her hands.

In March she was called to the police station and informed that a temporary protection order was issued for the three younger children and they were taken into care.

According to the social worker report, seen by this newspaper, several reasons were listed. These included the negative influence of their 14-year-old brother.

Social workers, however, were also concerned that the mother left them home alone while she was out working long hours and that the 13-year-old girl was burdened with too much responsibility as she had to care for her younger siblings.

She even held the key to the food cupboard which her mother locked because the 14-year-old became insatiably hungry when intoxicated.

“It’s true I work long hours... I’m not a perfect mother but I’m trying to teach my children to be independent. For me giving the house key to my daughter is not a huge responsibility. When I was 10, I had the house key as my parents were not home.”