People often assume that the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) only works with people of a certain age bracket, such as children, domestic violence victims and children calling the 179 helpline.

In reality, the FSWS offers an array of services that reach a wide range of individuals of various ages. The data collected and presented by the foundation’s research team can provide a clearer picture of the ages of the service users accessing services (see Fig. 1 above). 

In 2021, the FSWS worked with 22,451 cases. Ages of service users worked with differ by agency and directorate (see Fig. 2 below).

The data highlights some expected patterns in the services required and potential issues faced by service users of different ages.

Persons aged under 17 tend to have issues of child abuse, care or custody. Service users aged over 60 demonstrate a need for more health-related services.

Fig. 2: Ages of service users worked with differ by agency and directorate.

Difference in service needs can be more evident when analysing data on a service level. For example, within the Intake and Family Support Service, mental health issues were reported among those aged 18-39 and marital problems were found among those aged 40-59. Information, such as differences between age categories allows us to further tailor services to needs.

Our statistics are available online at www.fsws.gov.mt, with a view to educate, inspire and inform quality responses to improve the well-being of children, families and communities.

Claudette Abela Baldacchino is director of International Relations, Service Audits, Quality Assurance, Research and Economic Department, while Christine Marchand-Agius is leader of the Foundation for Social Welfare’s services research team.