A group of six troubled teenagers living in a specialised YMCA shelter are being relocated, it was revealed yesterday, as a rift between YMCA and the government emerged.
YMCA chairman Jean Paul Mifsud told a press conference that a meeting was held in September where the government said it had run out of funds and suggested closing the shelter for minors.
“We never accepted this,” he said, adding that while the YMCA was “not perfect” it was proud of its track record in taking care of children with a history of abuse refused by other shelters.
YMCA, which also operates an adult shelter and a drop-in centre, has running costs of more than €500,000 a year, with the minors’ centre alone costing some €180,000.
The government had promised to fund 25 per cent of the total costs but fell short by around €95,000, Mr Mifsud said.
In light of the financial problems, YMCA told the government it would seek alternative private funding. But last week the children received phone calls from Appoġġ, the government support agency, saying they would be given alternative placements, Mr Mifsud said.
One young man was transferred yesterday while the others were living in a state of uncertainty causing them to regress, Mr Mifsud said, stressing that the youngsters had severe behavioural problems.
He added that the alternative placements were not suitable to the children’s needs because they were mostly adult shelters.
Reacting to YMCA’s press conference, Family Minister Dolores Cristina said Appoġġ and the consultative board on children and youths had in the past months “expressed concerns” about the quality of treatment and care being given to the shelter’s residents.
“They expressed certain reservations about the environment and the programme the minors are following,” the statement added.
The Ministry also argued that despite the lack of funds, YMCA never said how it would assure the project’s sustainability, so it began taking the “required steps” to find alternative arrangements for the minors, in their best interests.
The government also said the YMCA had not yet submitted its audited accounts for last year, despite various attempts to see what had been done.
This was denied by Mr Mifsud, who said the government had already been informed that the accounts would be a month late this year because of a new specialised system being implemented.
Mr Mifsud added that YMCA had often asked the government to conduct psychological assessments on the children and provide assistance but most of its requests were ignored.
YMCA issued another statement last night saying the Ministry’s statement was intended to deliberately mislead and it would hold another press conference today to give further details.
Meanwhile, Children’s Commissioner Helen D’Amato has called for both parties to get back to the discussion table.
“Instead of taking drastic measures they need to get back to the discussion table. If there are financial issues they need to sort them out. And if there are concerns about the programme being offered, there needs to be a services audit too.”
Most of the children residing in the centres have suffered years of abuse by their guardians and are under a care order, meaning the State is responsible for their welfare.
Two of them were imprisoned for a week this summer after they were arrested for allegedly robbing an old man.
The YMCA had objected to this treatment and Mr Mifsud said yesterday there was more to the case than had emerged so far, adding that “this was not a robbery”.
The incident prompted the Children’s Commissioner to launch an inquiry which is still underway.
The Labour Party yesterday said it was concerned the government did not give its promised funds to the YMCA, pointing out that the government had not found it difficult to spend money on ceremonial events.