The Ministry for Social Policy and Children's Rights has signed a new social agreement with the Karl Vella Foundation for the next three years, aiming to assist children of seriously ill parents.

The Karl Vella foundation helps children of seriously ill parents from psycho-social aspects, a government statement said Monday.

The project, named 'Because You Matter', supports children and their families emotionally and provides psychological assistance in the long term, especially when the cases are very challenging.

The Foundation also helps these families professionally, even outside of Malta, as they often need support to get the necessary treatment related to the illness they are dealing with, the statement read.

Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon said that up to 780 hours of work and professional therapy will be provided each year for the next three years, along with 3,120 hours of psychological and emotional analysis by counselors, psychologists, and social workers.

The signed agreement approved the funding of €257,400 spread over the next three years.

"This Government and the Karl Vella Foundation believe that childhood is one of the most important stages in personal development and therefore we will work to ensure that every child is given the highest dignity, along with their loved ones," Falzon said.

He said that this is especially important in situations where children have family members suffering from serious illness, which often results in less attention being given to the children.

The Ministry said that it is committed to strengthening the funding of Public Social Partnerships (PSPs) in the coming months to reach more vulnerable individuals.

This year, a sum of €12 million was allocated to ensure services for 35 social agreements involving 25 NGOs, it said.