After leaving the home : a study into the after effects of residential care

Abstract

The aim of the study is to document the after effects, of institutional living upon adult life, in the areas of; educational achievement, vocational opportunities, social and familial relationships, religious observance, and contact with the respective authorities of Welfare and Law Enforcement. The participants in the study will have spent at least 5 years of their life in a residential home, during the crucial stage of development from childhood to adulthood. Due to the retrospective nature of the study, chapters 1 and 2 will give an abbreviated historical perspective. Chapter 2 will take a look at the social and economic developments in Malta against the background of post-war austerity. When the Malta government laid the foundations of what was to become her welfare state, modelled on the lines of that, of Britain. The chapter will also document some of the basic historical contrasts in the development of both countries, which shaped by their own cultures, followed their own unique course. Chapter 3 will take a brief look at the traditional role of the Church, in the area of welfare, which socially has always been considered the province of the Church. Focusing on the Church's interest in the realm of child care, during the period, when the Church initiated changes in the methods of child care. Moving from the traditional tenets towards a modern understanding of the child and his world. Chapters 4 to 7 will deal with the analysis of the data, giving a profile of the respondents. These chapters will also look into the areas of family and social relationships, educational and vocational attainment. Together with the respondents feelings about their experiences of care. Chapter 8 will concern itself with the results of the study and the need for more research into the area of child care.