18 Maltese children adopted since 2012

There have been 18 adoptions of Maltese children since 2012, five of which involved children aged under three, Agenzija Appogg, the agency in charge of adoption services, told this newspaper.

Asked about the number of children entrusted to them, the Ursuline Sisters, who cater for children who are put into care, said they currently had around 75 children within their four homes, some of whom were newborn babies.

Sister Martine Cauchi, a residential social worker at the Ursuline Homes, said that there is a whole spectrum of situations why children, who come from all ages and backgrounds, enter into their care, however it was normally preferable to find some way of resolving the issues preventing the children from being with their parents rather than for them to be adopted.

“Some children enter our homes for long-term placements, while others already have a plan in place for them to eventually go to a foster family. On rare occasions, the children are later adopted. However, adoption is only an option when there is absolutely no way for the family conflict/issues to be resolved,” she said.

“The Ursuline Homes work hand in hand with Agenzija Appogg, and the numbers of placements we have vary from year to year, as do the reasons for the placement and the age of the children when placed into care.”

“Placements are pretty constant, however they sometimes seem to happen in waves, for some reason or another. There are times when there are hardly any new placements, and times when there is a sudden increase,” she highlighted.

Families of the children of who are placed into care at the homes, are often in very bad social and psychological situations, she explained.

“Families and individuals often find themselves in near-desperate situations of poverty, addiction, imprisonment, mental health issues, and so on. Such situations push parents to take decisions about the welfare of their children, often sacrificing their own well-being for the benefit of their children,” she emphasised.

“At times children are put into care as the main caregiver receives medical treatment, is in a rehabilitation program, or serving a prison sentence.”

“All these situations are however followed by Agenzija Appogg, and we keep a professional, open working relationship with the agency for the best benefit of the children in our care,” Sister Martine added.

While adoption of local children in Malta is possible, the majority of adoptions which take place are from overseas.

Individuals, or at least one member of a couple, who wish to adopt, must be at least 28 years old, and there cannot be an age-discrepancy of more than 45 years between the child and any one of the adoptive parents.

Unmarried couples who are cohabiting unofficially cannot adopt a child together, with only one person from the couple being allowed to adopt, and the other having no rights or obligations over the child.

Gay couples who are married or in a civil union can also adopt. The first adoption by two men was approved by the Family Court in 2016.