The infant boy who was abandoned in a shoebox in Cospicua on Sunday afternoon, only a few hours after he was born, will not leave hospital until Agenzija Appogg child protection services have completed their investigations and ensured that the baby’s safety is secured, the agency said.

The baby was found by three young people – two girls and a boy – who were playing in Guliermu Street when they heard a baby crying. The sound was coming from a closed shoebox that was lying on the side of the road. When they opened the box, the youngsters found the baby boy wrapped in a towel.

The infant still had its umbilical cord attached and was partly covered in blood.

The mother, who is from Cospicua, went to hospital of her own accord late on Sunday afternoon, sources said, and was still receiving medical treatment yesterday. The baby was reported to be in a stable condition.

An Agenzija Appogg spokesman told The Malta Independent yesterday, that social workers are currently working with the mother to find out why the child was abandoned.

If there are health issues involved, other professionals may be called in before the social worker is able to carry out his or her interventions. “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ measure in these situations. The social worker may even work with the family of the mother,” the spokesman said.

Furthermore, Appogg pointed out, it is a criminal offence to abandon a minor. The spokesman said that the police have already taken measures and that “the court has appointed a professional to investigate the case and come up with recommendations regarding what needs to be done to secure the safety of the child”.

The authorities might issue a care order, which effectively means the transferring of parental responsibility from the mother to the minister, Appogg said.

In that case, an Appogg social worker will plan and carry out the placing of the baby in a children’s home or in foster care.

However, added the spokesman, the option of reuniting the mother and the baby is always a possibility, as long as this is in the child’s best interest.

This move usually includes specific conditions and the monitoring of the situation by Appogg social workers for as long as is necessary, the spokesman said.