Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/797847
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 MARCH 2017 8 News PAUL COCKS THE number of care orders issued by the State in 2016 fell by 95% to a mere total of seven, when com- pared to the 127 issued in 2013, despite the fact that the number of referrals and verified cases of child abuse or neglect remained some- what constant, MaltaToday has learned. In 2016, child protection services verified 254 cases of child abuse out of 1,473 reports filed. But following assessments of the verified cases, seven care orders were issued, as well as two court orders and four voluntary place- ments. The Foundation for Social Wel- fare Services (FSWS) told Malta- Today that this low number shows that Child Protection Services and FSWS were investing more in "supporting and aiding families" rather than working against them. But these figures have again raised concerns about ministe- rial policy on issuing care orders, which first came to light in court back in June 2016, when a police inspector testified that Appogg, the social services agency, cited minis- terial interference in the refusal of a care order for 7-year-old alleg- edly forced by his father to have sex with prostitutes to prevent him from "growing up to be gay". The claims were denied by min- ister Michael Farrugia, who criti- cised the police's behaviour as not being up to par. At the time, a spokesperson told MaltaToday that the drop in the issue of care orders "was because there were fewer requests from professionals for care orders" and insisted no policy changes had been instituted. But while 127 care orders for children were issued in 2013, with the number falling sharply to 27 in 2014 – the first full year of the new administration – and to 21 in 2015, only seven care orders were issued last year. The FSWS said that, of the 254 verified cases, 81 were referred for further monitoring and follow-up and 43 were sent to the Home- Based Therapeutic Services Unit. "Only three children needed to be taken into care in 2016 from the cases referred to the monitoring team," FSWS said in reply to our questions. "The other cases were referred to other Aġenzija Appoġġ services such as Community Ser- vices, and Intake and Family Sup- port Service, while a number of parents were referred for parental skills courses or addiction services offered by Aġenzija Sedqa. A small number of cases were referred to Youth in Focus Services and courts services." Concerns at low number But social workers have ex- pressed concern at the downturn registered, and at the government's failure to promote social work as a viable career choice, encourage fostering and provide adequate residential homes for children. Little appears to have changed since last May, when Alfred Grixti, CEO of the FSWS, warned MPs in the family affairs committee that too few people were interested in taking up a job as a social worker, and that the FSWS had to engage social support workers to comple- ment social workers on staff. Dr Daniella Zerafa, social worker and lecturer at the University of Malta, told MaltaToday that re- moving a child from the family should always be considered a last Drastic fall in care orders has soc Sharp downturn in care orders – down to 7 in 2016 – shows State less willing to take charge of abused children Who issues the care order? Under the current Children and Young Persons (Care Orders) Act, "if upon representations made to him in writing... the Minister is satisfied that that child or young person is in need of care, protection or control, it shall be the duty of the Minister by an order in writing under his hand to take such child or young person into his care." When a child is taken from its parents and placed under a care order, the welfare of the child becomes the direct responsibility of the minister, "as if the child is his own". Minister Farrugia promoted the Child Protection Bill, which was passed in parliament late last year, as a platform for changes to the current system of child protection. One major difference is that the new bill shifts the responsibility from the minister on to the courts, following an investigation. As the law now stands, there are three methods to remove a vulnerable child from parental custody: by means of a care order signed by the minister, through a court order – which is only temporary – or through the highly-questionable path under which the agency gets the parents to sign a declaration that they have placed the child "voluntarily in care". In the latter scenario, the legal obligation of care and custody remains with the parents, as this practice does not currently have a basis in law. Commissioner for Children Pauline Miceli