A set of National Standards for Residential Facilities accommodating people with problems related to drug, alcohol abuse and gambling, have been proposed.

Consultation is currently open for a period of six weeks, till 28 December and the idea is for the standards to be adopted early next year.

The standards are for the minimum required and can be applied to residences with different philosophies. These complement the methods being used while ensuring a decent standard of living for the individuals in these residential set-ups.

There are 16 standards to be followed and these cover people’s dignity, privacy, the right of choice and security. Meanwhile, residents must be given the opportunity to reach their potential, while having equality, individuality and dignity.

Agenzija Sedqa, the national agency against dependencies, has a number of residential set-ups while others are managed by NGOs including Caritas and Oasi.