F’pajjiżna hawn madwar 400 tifel u tifla li m’għandhomx trobbija f’familja jew dar, b’bosta jgħixu f’istituti reliġjużi.
Hija din l-ammissjoni tal-Ministru tal-Familja, Ħarsien tat-Tfal u Solidarjetà Soċjali, Michael Falzon fl-indirizz tiegħu waqt konferenza nazzjonali dwar il-fostering.
Konferenza li ttellgħet mill-Fondazzjoni għas-Servizzi tas-Sigurtà Soċjali s-Sibt filgħodu fl-Università l-antika l-Belt bit-tema “I am not my Behaviour”.
Fil-konferenza rriżulta wkoll kif iż-żieda ta’ 15-il foster carers ġodda f’dawn l-aħħar 3 xhur mhuwiex biżżejjed biex tlaħħaq mad-domanda dejjem tiżdied għall-familji li jrabbu.
Rene de Bot, konsulent Olandiż dwar il-ħarsien tat-tfal u ż-żgħażagħ, tkellem magħna dwar l-importanza tal-fostering għall-ħarsien tat-tfal:
“There’s a very difficult word – de-institutionalisation. This is a world-wide movement that we are reconsidering what is in the best interest of children that cannot stay with their birth parents. In the past, those children went to children’s homes where they stayed for many years but we have more and more knowledge nowadays about what is in the interest of children. For sure, some of the children will need residential care because of the specialist treatment that they can get there but most of them just need a new family, a normal family in a normal house. That’s the best way to help children that have been traumatised because they cannot stay longer with their birth parents.”
Il-konferenza saret ukoll fl-isfond li f’dawn il-jiem għaddejja diskussjoni fil-Parlament fuq l-Att il-ġdid dwar il-Protezzjoni tat-Tfal fejn fost l-oħrajn, il-Gvern qed jipproponi li r-responsabbiltà tal-kustodja ta’ tfal bi trawma ma tibqax taħt l-istess Ministru iżda tgħaddi għand 2 diretturi ġodda.
L-att propost jistabbilixxi li direttur minnhom ikun assenjat il-portafol tal-protezzjoni tat-tfal u l-ieħor tal-ħarsien tagħhom, saħansitra b’saħħa investigattiva u eżekuttiva.
