LET ME
THRIVE
A Research Study on
Foster Care in Malta
Commissioner for Children, Malta
1
LET ME THRIVE
A Research Study on Foster Care in Malta
Daniela DeBono
Marian Muscat Azzopardi
Commissioner for Children
www.tfal.org.mt
Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
8
PREFACE
10
AUTHORS’ BIOGRAPHIES
11
GLOSSARY
12
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
14
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCING THE STUDY
19
1.1 Rationale
19
1.2 Theoretical framework: a children’s rights-based approach to research
20
1.3 Research methodology: a child-centred qualitative approach
25
1.4 Data analysis
30
1.5 Challenges encountered
31
1.7 The choice of terminology
33
1.8 Ethics
33
1.9 Limitations of the study
36
CHAPTER 2: THE MALTESE CONTEXT
37
2.1 Introduction
37
2.2 Statistical data
37
2.3 A brief glance at the main landmarks leading to the development of the foster
care services
40
2.4 The Maltese legal framework and out-of-home care
41
2.7 Concluding remarks
48
CHAPTER 3: “I WOULD LIKE YOU TO WRITE THIS DOWN”: THE
CHILDREN’S VOICES, THE HETEROGENEITY OF THE CASES AND THEIR
ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SYSTEM
50
3.1 Detailed case studies
50
3.2 Issues as brought up by the children themselves
62
3.3 The children’s recommendations
89
3.4 Concluding remarks
94
CHAPTER 4: THE ADULT STAKEHOLDERS POINT OF VIEW: ADDRESSING
THE NEEDS OF A PROFESSIONAL CHILD-CENTRED SERVICE
98
4.1 Question one: factors that contribute to meet the holistic needs of the fostered child
98
4.2 What is not working as well as desired?
111
4.3 Other recommendations
137
4.4 Concluding remarks
137
CHAPTER 5: OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
139
CHAPTER 6: THE COMMISSIONER’S RECOMMENDATIONS
149
BIBLIOGRAPHY
155
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
situation of children in out-of-home care,
whether under a care order, court order or on a voluntary basis
8
all
9
PREFACE
10
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHIES:
Dr Daniela DeBono
Dr Marian Muscat Azzopardi
11
GLOSSARY
Accredited Agency
Advisory Board
Aftercare
Birth parents
Board of Appeal
Individual Care Plan
Case Conference
Case Review
Central Authority
Child
Child Protection (Out of
Home Care) Bill 2014
Child’s social worker
Children and Young
Persons (Care Orders)
Act
Committee on the Rights of
the Child (Committee)
12
Cross-border foster care
European Court of Human
Rights (ECtHR)
Foster Care Act
Foster Care Agreement
Foster Care placement
Foster Care Team
Foster Carer/s
Fostering Board
UN Guidelines for the
Alternative Care of Children
(Guidelines)
Looked-After Children
(LAC) Service
Migrant children
Out-of-home child care
Service Area Leader
Supervising social worker
– (Foster Carers’ Social
Worker)
United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC)
13
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
14
Timely support and monitoring of the birth family
Children’s contact visits with birth families
Ongoing support of foster carers
15
Increasing the resources of welfare agencies
Respecting the voice of the child
16
Establishing judicial review
The best interests of the child
Non-discrimination: migrant children and children in trouble with the law
Behaviour management in foster care
Reduction of social stigma
17
18
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCING THE STUDY
1.1 Rationale
19
1.2 Theoretical Framework: A Children’s Rights-Based Approach to Research
20
21
1.
2.
22
3.
1.
2.
3.
a)
b)
c)
d)
4.
5.
a)
b)
6.
a)
b)
7.
23
24
1.3 Research methodology: A child-centred qualitative approach
25
26
27
28
29
Chart 1: Number of People Interviewed Separated by Gender
Code
Type of interviewee
C3
AAW
A
1.4 Data analysis
30
Male Female Number of interviewees
1.5 Challenges encountered
bias
31
32
1.7 The Choice of terminology
1.8 Ethics
33
34
35
1.9 Limitations of the study
36
CHAPTER 2: THE MALTESE CONTEXT
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Statistical data
Table 1: Age of fostered children in 2015
Year of
Birth
Age
No of
children
Table 2: Age of fostered children in specialised care in 2015
Year
of
Birth
Age
No of
children
37
Table 3: Age that children at the Foster Care Unit were taken into care
Table 4: Age that children at the Specialised Home-Based Care Unit were taken into care
Table 5: Period of time that fostered children in 2015 have been in foster care
Number of years that children have been in placement
38
Table 6: Period of time that fostered children in 2015 have been in specialised foster care
Number of years that children have been in placement
39
Table 7: Age children are taken into care
2.3 A brief glance at the main landmarks leading to the development of the foster care
services
40
2.4 The Maltese legal framework and out-of-home care
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
41
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
42
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
a)
b)
c)
d)
43
e)
27
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
44
f)
g)
h)
a)
b)
(i)
(ii)
a)
b)
45
2.5 Developments in the
46
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
47
a)
b)
c)
d)
2.6 Concluding remarks
48
49
CHAPTER 3: “I WOULD LIKE YOU TO WRITE THIS DOWN”: THE
CHILDREN’S VOICES, THE HETEROGENEITY OF THE CASES AND
THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SYSTEM
3.1 Detailed case studies
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
3.2 Issues as brought up by the children themselves
62
63
64
41
65
i.
66
ii.
“
iii.
67
68
69
iv.
70
v.
71
72
73
vi.
74
75
76
77
78
79
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
i.
80
81
82
83
ii.
84
iii.
iv.
85
v.
86
87
88
3.3 The children’s recommendations
89
90
91
92
93
3.4 Concluding remarks
94
95
96
97
CHAPTER 4: THE ADULT STAKEHOLDERS POINT OF VIEW:
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF A PROFESSIONAL CHILD-CENTRED
SERVICE
4.1 Question One: Factors that contribute to meet the holistic needs of the fostered child.
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
4.2 What is not working as well as desired?
111
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
o
o
o
o
o
o
136
o
o
4.3 Other recommendations
4.4 Concluding remarks
137
138
CHAPTER 5: OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
Family environment and alternative care
139
140
141
142
143
The voice of the child
144
145
The best interests of the child
Non-discrimination
146
Behaviour management
Reduction of social stigma
The contribution of this study
147
148
CHAPTER 6: THE COMMISSIONER’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Permanency planning
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
149
Adequate budget allocations
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
150
The voice of the child
o
o
o
o
The best interests of the child
o
o
151
Non-discrimination
Meaningful behaviour
152
Appointed Boards and Central Authority
Action Plan
Legislative review
153
Concluding thoughts
154
BIBLIOGRAPHY
155