Social work intervention as a barrier to juvenile delinquent behaviour

Abstract

Gill (1991) contends that "Juvenile delinquents, whatever that term means, do not parachute onto our planet as they reach puberty. They were born here to families of diverse compositions and all reared here by adults. They are a product; we are the producers" (Gill 1991 in Regoli and Hewitt 1994: xvi). Juvenile crime brings with it a bundle of reactions from society, Malta notwithstanding, and many try to find reasons as to why so many teenage children are indulging in such harmful behaviour. Over the years a number of theories have tried to shape our understanding of the complex causes of juvenile delinquency and various tools have been devised to counter this phenomenon. This study forwards an extensive review of the literature on the causes and risk factors of juvenile delinquency. It also focuses on the role of the social worker in juvenile delinquency prevention strategies, particularly in relation to early intervention. The study also presents and discusses the findings of a series of in depth interviews (N=7) with Social Workers employed at the Education Welfare Unit. These interviews were intended to acquire a clear picture of identification and intervention strategies used in Malta. Finally, recommendations are forwarded with the aim of assisting the development of service provision in this area.