A comparative study of residential care for Maltese young people and for unaccompanied minors asylum seekers

Abstract

Unaccompanied minors asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable and are to be treated in a way that is well-suited for their needs. They need to be placed in a secure accommodation which provides them with support to recover from physical and psychological trauma. The housing conditions play an important role to shape their sense of security and belonging. This qualitative study is exploratory in nature and the focus is on the similarities and differences that exist in the provision of residential care for local young people and for those offered specifically for unaccompanied minors asylum seekers. The study looked at the way residential care developed on the island of Malta over the years by looking into the local legal framework and the National Standards for Out-of-Home child care and the way these are reflected into practice. The ecological framework was adopted as conceptual framework for the study in order to provide a better understanding on the impact the environment has on the development of young people. A number of interviews were carried out with a number of stakeholders working in the field of residential care in order to obtain a better understanding from their experiences. The results demonstrate significant differences in the way St Patrick’s Residential Home for Boys is run when compared to Dar is-Sliem with regards to the physical setting, the number of staff and motivation, managerial commitment and communication from top to bottom and from bottom to top. The most starking contrast is that of the onus being on creating a home vis-à-vis securitization, reflecting perhaps the broader context, public and political discourse on these two groups of young people in Malta.