The Links to their Roots: Contact with Birth Families for Children in Out-of-Home Care in Malta

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of contact with birth families for children in out-of-home care within the Maltese context by referring to theory and applying it. The paper does not aim to provide solutions, since the issue has so many facets that it cannot be reduced to a problem to which a solution can be found. It is aimed at encouraging reflection on this issue since, when working with children in out-of-home care, decisions about contact with their birth families need to be taken which reflect the children's best interests. Besides exploring the issue holistically, maintaining a focus on the individual dimension of the issue is a requirement of all practitioners in the field of children in out-of-home care. Failure to do so will be ignoring what is an important dimension for many of the children. Additionally, the Maltese context, as will be seen in this paper, presents particular challenges regarding contact with birth families and adds another requirement to the reflective exercise.