Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544021
REMENDA Grech believes that when a child enters alternative care, the state takes on a responsi- bility that goes well beyond provid- ing a simple roof. Grech is the director for alterna- tive care at the Foundation for So- cial Welfare Services, and has spent 20 years working with children who cannot remain with their biological families. There are currently 508 of them in the system, placed in fos- ter families, community homes, or residential care after courts deter- mined their home was no longer safe. She explains how the system has changed. Large institutional homes have been replaced by small hous- es on ordinary streets with foster care now accounting for 53% of placements. An aftercare service introduced under her tenure allows young people to remain supported until the age of 21. However, she is transparent about areas needing improvement. Not enough Maltese families foster, and not all children adapt well to family settings. She emphasises that love isn't enough; caregivers must un- derstand how to raise a child with trauma-affected behaviour. Asked what the system still needs to get right, her answer is simple: Decisions need to move faster. For a child waiting to find out where they will live, or whether they can see a parent, "a day is a long time", she tells me. Remenda Grech: 'A day in the life of a child is a long time to wait' About 508 children in Malta live outside their families. Remenda Grech, director of alternative care at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, tells Juliana Zammit what happens to these children, why Maltese families don't foster enough, and what the system needs to improve 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MARCH 2026 INTERVIEW