Let me thrive : a study on foster care in Malta

Abstract

Children in foster care in Malta are owed a service which retains their best interests at its core. This is an obligation of the State as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in national legislation. Foster care is an essential component of out-of-home care, a serve provided to children at times when their birth parents are not able to look after them. The length of the period that a child spends in care varies according to the circumstances of each individual. This book collects detailed experiences of stakeholders in the field of foster care and their ideas for improvement of the service. It gives priority to the contribution of children who have experience of foster care. Using a mixed and child-centred qualitative methodology, this book seeks to answer the question: what factors contribute to meet the holistic needs of the fostered child, in line with the principles enshrined in the UNCRC?