Introduction

The Social Welfare Development Programme (SWDP) is a public agency was established in 1994 and financed by the Ministry for Social Policy. It works with and for those persons in Malta who are distressed, vulnerable, or poor. Its aim is to improve the social support and the care that is accessible to such persons in our society. It also provides service development assistance to other agencies involved in social work and social welfare service delivery.

SWDP aims to:

d provide social work services in Malta for persons who are in crisis, people who are socially disadvantaged, and the poor. Social work in this sense includes case-work with individuals from any town or village. However, it also includes community development work in neighbourhoods where there is a concentration of social problems - this is oriented towards stimulating local groups to take initiatives to create social welfare services locally.

d enhance and bring together the response of other organisations and departments, and of other professions besides social work. It works partly through multi-professional teams and inter-disciplinary approaches.

d carry out preventive activities, to promote self-help among victims of social problems, and to adopt other agencies to reduce social problems in the country.

d carry out action-oriented research on social problems, especially in relation to existing or anticipated social welfare services, to raise the effectiveness and quality of such services, and to monitor gaps such as missing or insufficient services for particular categories of vulnerable or distressed persons.

d provide information, advice, training, organisation development and other services to other public and private agencies.

d endeavour to raise the standards of social work and social work services in the country. It promotes modern and professional standards in the areas of case-recording, follow-up of cases, confidentiality, referral of cases to other bodies, and in other areas of social work.

d support social welfare services provided by government and non-governmental organisations, and assist them with expertise and training where appropriate.

d undertake social work and related services commissioned by Governmental entities.

Part A - SWDP Overall
 

1. Child Protective Services Unit
1. Domestic Violence Unit
1. Community Development Unit
1. Service Development Unit
1. Supportline 179 (national helpline)
1. Butterfly Centre - a medical child crisis centre
1. Family Therapy Service
1. Children’s Support Group Service (for children who are social work clients)
1. Health Social Officers - Mt. Carmel Hospital
1. Health Social Officers - Qormi Health Centre
1. Disability Support Service
1. Social Work Service at St. Luke’s Hospital
1. NGO Resource Centre - Gozo
1. Social Work and Counselling Unit, Gozo
1. Supervised Access Visits Service (for non-custodial parents and their children)
1. Parenting Skills Support Groups for Social Work Clients
1. Therapeutic Programme for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence

1. Secretariat for Women’s Rights (currently falling under the aegis of the Minister responsible for social   policy):

After stimulating an NGO to set up a much-needed Shelter for Women in Gozo, SWDP facilitated links between the Secretariat and the NGO which resulted structural work alterations being undertaken by the Works Department. The Shelter is now running. SWDP is assisting the Shelter in the (a) formulation of a Shelter Procedures Manual, (b) providing social work support to residents through the SWDP Social Work and Counselling Service in Gozo, and (c) groupwork for children of Shelter residents.

SWDP has also provided technical assistance to the Secretariat in connection with the setting up of an Emergency Shelter for Women in Malta. Technical assistance includes: (a) service development work, (b) organisation of refurbishment; (c) training of shelter volunteers; (d) formulation of a Shelter Procedures Manual; (e) formulation of Job Descriptions.

The above two initiatives will increase the Women’s Crisis Shelter capacity in Malta to 40 from the previous 22 places, a much-needed and long-awaited capacity increase.

SWDP has also provided legal and social work input to the work of the Committee set up by the Secretariat to draft a Domestic Violence law.

2. Ministry of Education:

2.1 Needs Analysis of Boys’ and Girls’ Schools (Opportunity Centres): On the request of the Minister of Education, SWDP has conducted a needs analysis of the Boys and Girls’ Schools in Malta and presented proposals for the solution of problems in these schools in a 21-page report entitled Boys’ Schools and Girls’ Schools - welfare and development of students.

2.2 Work with children with disruptive behaviour in Schools: on the request of the Minister of Education, SWDP started assisting the Maria Assumpta Area Secondary School in Hamrun to tackle the problem of student disruptive behaviour by planning and conducting two support groups for Form 3 and Form 4 students whose behaviour has been consistently disruptive during the year. The two groups are currently still in progress.

2.3 Bullying Commission: Also on the request of the Ministry of Education, the SWDP Head participated in the work of the Bullying Commission set up by the Ministry of Education. The SWDP Head has designed the Bullying Incident Report Format (11 pages; July 1998). Two documents consisting of materials obtained through INTERNET which are relevant to the work of the Commission have been submitted by SWDP to the Commission.

2.4 Needs Assessment of Two Educational Centres: on the request of the Education Division, SWDP conducted a needs assessment exercise of (a) the St Patrick's Pembroke Centre for young early offenders, and (b) Mat Dei School with a high percentage of low-achieving children.

3. Fejda:

In April the Family Therapy Service of SWDP started providing technical assistance to FEJDA in the area of developing a family/parental counselling services.

4. Ministry of Health:

4.1 Health Division: The following services continued to be provided to the Health Division of the Ministry of Health:

(a) Health Social Officers Team- Mt. Carmel Hospital (Psychiatric Social Work);

(b) Health Social Officers Team - Qormi Health Centre (Generic/ Psychiatric Social Work in three localities);

(d) Social Work Service at St. Luke's Hospital;

(e) Butterfly Centre (medical treatment and follow-up of child abuse cases).

4.2 National Commission on Mental Health: A project profile entitled Establishment of a Day Care Centre for Mentally Ill Persons from the Cottonera Area (12 pages) was formulated by SWDP as technical assistance to the Chairperson of the National Commission for Mental Health. The Commission is utilising the project profile to negotiate its financement with potential non-governmental sources. SWDP will assist the Commission in (a) training a cadre of volunteers to run day care activities; (b) project establishment operations, (c) dialogue with community-based organisations which could form an inter-agency mechanism for the running of the Centre.

4.3 Health Promotion Unit:  SWDP is providing technical support to a Sexual Health Education Pilot Project of the Health Promotion Unit initially targeting Primary School Teachers. As part of a team of trainers coordinated by the Health Promotion Unit under the auspices of the European Network of Health Promoting Schools, two SWDP personnel will be participating in a pilot teacher training workshop. Their input will focus on the medical and psychological aspects of the development of children's sexuality.

5. Ministry of Social Policy (previously Ministry of Social Welfare):

5.1 Secretariat for the Care of the Elderly: on the request of the Parliamentary Secretary for the Care of the Elderly, SWDP is assisting the Secretariat in the development of an operational plan aimed at the reorganisation of the Home-Help Service.

5.1 National Commission Persons with  Disability (NCPD): The Disability Support Service (previously known as SAPPORT) continued to be of offered to KNPD. The operational responsibility for this service has recently been transferred to the Department for Family Welfare.

5.2 Department for Family Welfare:

5.2.1 Supervised Access Visits: A service of Supervised Access Visits continued to be provided to this Department as a joint project. Two part-time SWDP personnel supervise visits of non custodial parents to their children.

5.2.2 Adoption Home Study Reports: Assistance continued to be provided to the Adoption Unit of the Department of Family Welfare. One part-time SWDP social worker assists the Unit in catching up with its back-log of pending Adoption Home Study Reports.

5.2.3 Fejda Project Document: SWDP had been instrumental in the formulation of a service plan entitled ‘Residential Facility for Females with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties’ which led to the eventual setting up of the Fejda Programme by the Department of Family Welfare through the Management Board of the Vincenzo Bugeja Complex.

5.3 ATC Midday Meals Costings: At the request of the Director (Corporate Services), SWDP has undertaken a cost analysis of the daily mid-day meals provided by the Adult Training Centre (for a sheltered workshop and day centre for persons with a disability) at Santa Venera.

5.4 Department of Social Accommodation (previously under the aegis of the Minister responsible for housing): A service consisting of a Social Accommodation Officers Team continued to be provided to the Department of Social Accommodation.

6. Inter-agency Fostering Team:

This team includes representatives from the Department for Family Welfare and the Church. SWDP continued to offer technical support services to this entity through one full-time staff member comprising training, prevention and planning.

7. NGOs:

7.1 ADD/ADHD Family Support Group: SWDP has provided technical assistance to this group in the form of project document and brochure formulation as well as provision of use of space for monthly meetings and training sessions.

7.2 Dar Nazareth, Zejtun: SWDP has formulated the project document of Dar Nazareth to enable the Nazareth Community to negotiate with potential donors for service financement.

7.3 Hospice Movement: SWDP has assisted the Movement in formulating its first project document. The document has served as a guideline for service evaluation and financement negotiation.

Part B - SWDP Work: selected issues by sector
 

1.1.1 Child Protective Services Unit (CPSU): SWDP started and is running the first specialised child protection service for abused children and young persons in the country which services both islands. Since its establishment in 1994, CPSU has received over 1,200 referrals. The first two months are the most crucial in child protection casework requiring intensive daily work sometimes by two social workers. The service is understaffed and new recruitment has been stalled for the past two years.

1.1.2 Special Foster Care for Abused Children: A number of abused boys above the age of eight who need urgent admission into care are being refused care in the summer months by the only two residential care institutions which provide care for such boys due to (a) shortage of staff who are on vacation, and (c) a six-week closing down of the service. Given Malta’s ratification of the Children’s Rights Convention, the country should no longer accept to be held ransom by the admission policies of existing non-governmental residential care facilities but should be able to act proactively by creating viable alternatives enabling child protection workers to offer the best to abused children.

1.1.3 Child Witnessing Court Procedures: The CPSU Co-ordinator has represented SWDP on the Commission set up by the Justice Ministry to make proposals on child witnessing procedures in Court in cases of child abuse.

1.1.4 Research and Staff Development: CPSU maintains a computer data-base of referred cases and regular provides policy-makers with statistical updates. The absence of specialised training courses in the field of child protection work in Malta, team members have benefited from overseas study and service attachment visits which could not be sustained in the past two years due to government budget cutbacks. Staff development programmes are crucial for such specialised teams to maintain high morale, prevent burnout, increase competency and professional clinical practice, and contribute to the effective implementation of those sections of the Children’s Rights Convention (CRC) which deals which child protection work.

1.1.5 Public Education: A series of thirteen articles in Maltese on Children’s Rights and Childhood Policies have been published in a local newspaper. SWDP plans to negotiate with a local newspaper the publication of a fortnightly contribution on this area.

1.1.6 Therapeutic Groupwork for Sexually Abused Children: SWDP plans to train 2 teams of psychology graduates (2 persons per team) to undertake therapeutic groupwork with sexually abused children. Team members will be paid on a sessional basis and will be provided supervision by a clinical psychologist.

1.1.7 Butterfly Centre: a medical assessment and treatment service to abused children and their siblings, Butterfly Centre has been successfully integrated with the Division of Health (Department of Pediatrics), which now owns the service as of 1 June 1998. The Division of Health has undertaken to pay for the service as of 1 January 1999. The main worker is a pediatrician who is still employed with SWDP but will become redundant as of 1 January 1999 because by then SWDP will no longer be the service provider. A hand-over agreement was reached with the Health Division that it would issue a call for applications in good time so that a pediatrician will be there to run the service from 1 January 1999.

1.2 Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBDs)

Children’s Support Group Service: SWDP has started and is running the only groupwork service for children coming from backgrounds that could damage them emotionally and developmentally. The Children’s Support Group Service currently services SWDP service delivery units. In the past two years, the service has provided support groups for children who have witnessed domestic violence, children with mental health problems, children of parents with mental health problems, children under a Care Order, and secondary school students with oppositional behaviour. The service has also undertaken need analysis exercises focusing on the psycho-social needs of student populations in two EBD schools. More support groups are being planned. Currently active SWDP-related support groups for children are:

• Support Group for Children residing in the Merhba Bik Shelter for battered women.
• Support Group for children under a Care Order
• Support Group for secondary school students with oppositional behaviour (Maria Assumpta Area Secondary School)
• 2 new Support Groups will soon be starting for children of battered women who are clients of the Domestic Violence Unit.

In 1996 SWDP had been in the process of establishing a semi-secure facility for young early offenders in co-operation with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education. Operations were halted since the identified building was taken over to house the SATU Unit previously forming part of the Corradino Correctional Facility.

1.4 Difficult-to-place EBD children and young persons

SWDP is currently finalising a project document on the establishment of a Fejda For Boys. Contacts with UK-based therapeutic communities for children and young persons with emotional and behavioural difficulties have also been established.

1.5 Research on Care-Orders

SWDP is currently working on a research paper on Care Orders in Malta. A data-base of Care-Orders issued since 1988 has been started.
 
 

2.1.1 Domestic Violence Unit (DVU): SWDP started and is running the first specialised social work service for victims of domestic violence which services Malta. Since its establishment in 1994, DVU has received over 1,200 referrals. Referrals of domestic violence cases from Gozo are now being serviced by the SWDP Gozo-based Social Work and Counselling Team. SWDP urgently requires approval to recruit 4 new social workers for this Unit which is currently manned by three full-time and three part-time social workers. The workload of the three full-time staff is heavily increased during the summer months when three part-time staff reduce their working hours due to family commitments. A therapeutic service for perpetrators of domestic violence is scheduled to begin in October 1998. This service is quite essential but will place further strains on the staff.

2.1.2 Therapeutic Programme for Men who Batter: DVU is currently planning to start this programme after the completion of staff training by overseas experts in October this year. The service will fill a big gap in the service provision in the field of domestic violence.

2.1.3 Prevention of Domestic Violence: The Media Room of the Service Development Unit of SWDP has recently designed a media campaign focused on the prevention of domestic violence.

2.1.4 Alternative Shelters for Battered Women: SWDP has been instrumental in stimulating and providing technical assistance to two bodies to establish two alternative shelters for battered women in Malta and Gozo. The Gozo shelter accommodates 5 families; the one in Malta 4.

2.2 Married Couples contemplating Separation

2.2.1 Court Referees for Family Mediation: SWDP had proposed to the Family Court Commission the setting up of a Family Mediation Service manned by a team of specially trained Family Mediation Court Referees. The proposal was submitted to the two Justice Ministers under the previous administration. The Ministry of Justice (c/o Permanent Secretary) is taking steps to implement it.

2.2.2 Separation Mediation: Another recognised specialised discipline within the field of mediation, separation mediation aims at reducing the tension generated by marriage separation. Couples negotiate their own settlement and learn how to resolve future differences without having their children caught in the middle. SWDP has formulated a project document and submitted it to the Ministry for Social Welfare in January 1998 but no approval was obtained due to lack of overall sector funding.

2.3 Families in Difficulty

2.3.1 Family Therapy Service (FTS): Six team members provide this service to families with psychological problems. Team members have been trained by 2 family therapists from the internationally renowned London-based Tavistock Clinic. Team members have also designed and conducted a six-month Introductory Course in Family Therapy for practitioners thus increasing the clinical expertise of practitioners in this specialised field of family work. Since its establishment in January 1996, FTS has provided therapy to 1,868 individuals from 495 families.

2.3.2 Family work in Gozo: Established in July 1997, the Social Work and Counselling Unit in Gozo has provided professional assistance to 162 individuals from 52 families through two part-time staff members. The Unit is already highly regarded by the Gozo Court and Gozo General Hospital which are sources of referral.

2.3.3 Supportline 179: The national helpline has provided assistance to twelve thousand genuine callers since its establishment 21 months ago. SWDP urgently requires approval to recruit one replacement for the part-time helpline organiser who has resigned to live overseas.

2.3.4 Monitored Visitation: Since the Supervised Access Visits Service was established by SWDP in June 1996, Visitation Supervisors have accepted 29 referrals from the Court. The service needs to expand to Gozo where SWDP is receiving Court referrals without the necessary funds to remunerate workers on a sessional basis.

2.3.5 Parenting Skills Support Groups: Since August 1995, SWDP has been providing long-term group-based support to parents to enable them to gain or strengthen parenting and communication skills. 198 persons have participated in these support groups aimed at clients of SWDP social work service teams and Bormla residents.

2.3.6 Support to Bormla Families: Through the community-based social workers attached to the Community Development Unit in Bormla, families in difficulty from this geographical area riddled with complex social problems have been receiving social work support from social works who understand the local social context in which they live. Since December 1995, intensive work has been undertaken with 335 families.

3.1.1 A.C.E.A.: An Action Committee on Elder Abuse (A.C.E.A.) exists to facilitate the implementation of an action-plan created by age-care practitioners during a workshop on elder abuse in April 1997. A project document entitled ‘Bridge: a Social Work Service for Abused Elderly and Carers Under Strain’ was formulated and submitted for funding to (a) the Parliamentary Secretary for the Care of the Elderly and (b) to the Welfare Committee. The proposal was not approved due to lack of overall funding and recruitment restrictions.

3.1.2 Training Age-Care Workers: Courses and lectures on elder abuse aimed at personnel of the St. Vincent de Paule Residential Complex (1,050 elderly residents) and age-care residential and hospital personnel in Gozo have been conducted.

3.2 Strengthening the Home-Help/Care Service

On the request of the Secretariat for the Care of the Elderly, and as part of its technical assistance programme, SWDP has been assisting the Secretariat in formulating an operational plan to strengthen the service and to widen its scope to reach other special needs groups such as persons with a disability, mental health service users who need assistance in community re-integration, and persons under 60 years who are discharged from hospital but who need post-op domiciliary care.
 
 

Social Work Service at St. Luke’s Hospital: Initiated on the request of the Manager of St. Luke’s Hospital, this service lays special emphasis on discharge planning of elderly persons who overstay due to social and family problems. Two full-time and one part-time social workers run the service which is in the process of being handed over to the Health Division. Since the service was set up in September 1996, work has been undertaken with 1,025 hospital patients.

4.2 Mental Health Service Users

4.2.1 Health Social Officers at Mt. Carmel Hospital: Funded by the Health Division, this service is in the process of being transferred to the Health Division. Since its establishment in October 1995, intensive work has been undertaken with 422 patients.

4.2.2 Health Social Officers at the Qormi Health Centre: Funded by the Health Division, this service is in the process of being handed over to the Department of Primary Health Care. Since it was set up in July 1995 on the request of the then National Commission on Mental Health Care Reform, the three part-time social workers have worked intensively with 315 clients.

4.2.3 Day Care Centre for Mental Health Service Users from Cottonera Area: On the request of the Mental Health Commission, and as part of the technical assistance programme of SWDP.

4.2.4 Primary Prevention in Schools: On the request of the Mental Health Federation, SWDP has undertaken to explore the viability of training volunteers to implement a schools-based prevention programme and to cost the training and on-going support of such a cadre of volunteers. In the process of work on this project, SWDP is also exploring the possiblity of increasing the skills of PSE teachers to undertake such work themselves.

Victim Welfare Service: This being one of the main gaps in social welfare service provision in Malta and Gozo, SWDP has been liaising with the Home Affairs Division on the setting up of such a service for the past three years. No funds have been allocated so far.

5.2 Welfare of Offenders

5.2.1 Social Welfare of Offenders and their Families: In 1996, SWDP was liaising with the Home Affairs Division on the setting up of a Social Welfare Unit at the Corradino Correctional Facility which would undertake in-house forensic social work and community-based social work intervention with prisoners’ families.

5.2.2 Young Early Offenders: see section 1.3 above under this Sector

The SWDP NGO Resource Centre is currently undertaking research into the perception of social care practitioners of social problems and social welfare needs in Gozo. A publication with the results of this study will be published in December. The results will be used to develop the programmes of the NGO Resource Centre, and will also serve as the basis for a training-oriented societal change programme in co-operation with the University of Malta Gozo Centre. Such a programme will aim at prevention and reduction of social problems and fulfillment of training needs of a wide range of professionals.

6.2 Family Work

Social Work and Counselling Service: Initiated in July 1997, this service has assisted over 150 individuals from 59 families and ran two support groups for children in residential care and children of separated couples. Team members also undertake family work with Gozitan families who are clients of the Child Protective Services Unit and the Domestic Violence Unit of SWDP.

6.3 Technical Assistance to the Voluntary Sector

On the recommendation of Gozitan social welfare practitioners, SWDP set up an NGO Resource Centre to offer technical assistance to regional and community based organisations which need assistance in setting up or strengthening a service including the training of volunteers and personnel. The Centre has been instrumental in organising the six-month Certificate Course in Social Care in collaboration with the University of Malta Gozo Centre with the aim of creating a cadre of trained volunteers or case-aides. Another course on Working with Elderly Persons in a Residential Context was organised. The Centre supports two task forces on the elderly and disability. The Centre is run by a part-time Organiser and one volunteer with the support of the SWDP Planner.

SWDP initiated the first community development initiative in the country. The Community Development Unit is based in Bormla. A Team of Community Development Workers and Social Workers work hand in hand to stimulate public participation in self-development, self-help and local development work initiatives. Community-based social workers working within the Unit has worked with 343 families since December 1995. Each year the Unit produces an annual report.

7.2 Public Education Programme

In June this year SWDP launched a pilot Public Education Programme aimed at Maltese families who wish to learn more about specific social welfare issues. The programme consists of lectures and short courses covering a wide range of issues. An evaluation of the pilot project has been undertaken. The programme will resume in October.

7.3 Publications

Each SWDP service delivery Unit has produced its own brochure. Personnel are encouraged to contribute newspaper articles on social issues. Papers on policy issues have also been produced. An INTERNET Document service exists for social welfare policy makers. A list of publications is available.

7.4 Client Complaint Procedures

SWDP clients are provided with a brochure in Maltese which describes how they can complain once unsatisfied with the service received.

Message by the Executive Director of SWDP to visitors

Dear visitor,

Thank you for the interest you have shown in this Programme!

Please write to us if our work interests you even further than just going through the above information or if you wish to offer resources such as expertise, grants, international or European collaboration, and so on.  This is were we can be reached:
 

• suicide helplines, especially training of volunteers and training packs;
• Victim Support Schemes at the community level especially training of volunteers and training packs;
• self-help groups for perpetrators of child abuse (non-sexual)
• self-help groups for perpetrators of domestic violence.

Click   HERE to return to Main Page