Family remains the cornerstone of a healthy and functioning society. It is the preferred environment for a child's development - emotionally, socially, and psychologically. Yet, for a growing number of children in Malta, this fundamental unit is either absent or unable to provide the safety and care they need.
Today, approximately 520 children in Malta are living in alternative care - a figure that, according to Remenda Grech, Director of Alternative Care at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS), represents far more than a statistic. Each one is a name, a face, a story, she told The Malta Independent on Sunday. These children require not only legal protection but also practical, well-coordinated systems of support that ensure long-term wellbeing and stability.
Alternative care is not a first resort. It is implemented only when all other avenues to support the child within their biological family have been exhausted. This is in line with international child welfare principles and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prioritises family preservation wherever possible.
The first priority is always to help the family so that the child can remain in their home and be protected as much as possible, Grech said. Intervention by the Directorate for Child Protection -including the issuing of a temporary care order - is taken only after comprehensive assessments and court involvement. Such a move signifies serious concerns about a child's safety, often due to abuse, neglect, or the inability of the family to meet even basic care standards.
While necessary in some cases, the growing reliance on alternative care underscores the urgent need for stronger early intervention policies. Investments in mental health services, addiction recovery programmes, parenting support, and poverty alleviation are essential to reduce family breakdowns before they reach crisis levels. Prevention must become a more central pillar of Malta's child welfare strategy.
When children do enter alternative care, the policy focus must shift to the quality and sustainability of that care. Foster families are a critical component, offering children a familial environment that can promote healing and emotional development. However, recruitment and retention of foster carers remain a challenge. Policymakers should consider measures such as better financial support, and enhanced training to encourage more families to take on such a delicate role.
Residential homes, while necessary for some older or more vulnerable children, should not be the default solution. Research consistently shows that children thrive best in family-based settings. A strategic policy shift toward expanding foster care and exploring kinship care - where extended family members assume the caregiving role - could help align Malta's system with best practices across Europe.
Moreover, transition planning must be given priority. Children in care often face significant difficulties when aging out of the system. Clear policy frameworks are needed to support education, employment, housing, and mental health for care-leavers. Without this, the cycle of disadvantage is likely to continue.
Ultimately, the presence of over 500 children in alternative care calls for a whole-of-society response - not just to safeguard those who are already in the system, but to address the root causes that lead them there. Strengthening families, enhancing inter-agency coordination, and investing in preventative care are not optional - they are necessary to uphold the rights and futures of Malta's children.