Identification of physical structure

Abstract

This component activity forms part of an ESF (3.234) Project entitled “ LEAP!: Building the future together: promoting social mobility”, which is targeted at reviewing the needs and requirements for the establishment of a secure college for children in Malta. The concept of a secure college was envisaged, highlighting a need for a place where children who are in need of control, can be educated in a safe environment that will enable their re-integration into society. The component will understand crime and victimisation from an on-the-ground perspective, the legislative aspect, the educational and welfare aspect, as well as the care aspect. The component links to the LEAP! project through its strive to establish the national requirement of a child-related activity that combats social exclusion and poverty by establishing whether a need exists, its extent and how far should society go to ensure that such scenarios are tackled. LEAP’s target groups include single parents, people with disabilities, ex-offenders, migrants and working poor amongst others, who are considered vulnerable or disadvantaged, to which categories this component adds a further vulnerable group composed of children at risk of incarceration. The component also links to the project through its efforts to understand the pressures on social cohesion as effected by the child offenders and victims of crime. Another link to the project relates to input to the debate on poverty, as experienced by this vulnerable group, which research has shown that live within poverty hotspots.