As many as 186 siblings are living in separate institutions due to State intervention.

A pilot project to reunite siblings separated as a result of State intervention could offer hope to 186 children living apart, according to a support provider.

The project, being run by Aġenżija Appoġġ, resulted in five children – a group of three siblings and a set of twins – being reunited after a care order meant they were put into separate institutions.

Operations director Ruth Sciberras said children were often separated because Church-run institutions would only accommodate one gender. Some institutions, she said, would only accept children of a certain age.

“This system often leads to children being separated. Our philosophy is to try our best to minimise the possibility of this happening but this is not always the case,” she said, adding that children were almost never separated intentionally.

Reluctant to reveal details on the “sensitive” project, Ms Sciberras said the small flat being used had offered the children a “family-like environment”.

“They are close together and go to school and live fairly normal lives. On the whole, this has been quite promising,” she said.

Earlier this month, Social Solidarity Minister Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said a new State-run centre would be opened to reunite siblings after the pilot project was completed.

It is important to factor the need for a protective upbringing along with the rights of children

She said that many of the 186 children living in separate institutions had gone through an unnecessary double-trauma due to “administrative problems”.

In some incidences, as many as seven siblings were separated as the result of marital breakdown or State intervention.

In one such case each child went to a different institution. The youngest sibling was just three years old, while the oldest was 16.

The majority of cases (75 per cent) involved children less than three years old.

Not all cases, however, involved large groups of children. There were 22 cases of pairs of siblings being separated in the past five years.

Concerns were raised earlier this year about the law regulating care orders. Sina Bugeja, chief executive officer of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, said she felt constrained by the law when it came to recommending care orders.

“It is important to factor the need for a protective upbringing along with the rights of children. Thus, while action needs to be taken promptly, all decisions taken must be based on facts,” she had said.

Care orders are issued once the foundation has verified that this would be in the child’s best interest. In cases of obvious physical abuse the orders are issued immediately.

“We never take children away from their parents for the sake of it. When we are in doubt, we err on the side of caution in favour of the vulnerable child,” she said.

The mother of two young boys recently filed a judicial protest, claiming her children had been taken illegally under a care order.

The foundation has since recommended changes to various laws, including the Fostering Act, the Adoption Act and the Care Order Act.