On May 30, 2018, the Social Care Standards Authority began its operations from our offices in Santa Venera, bringing about a new era of social care in the country.
Prior to this, a single department oversaw the provision and regularisation of social care services – without the legal sanctions to reinforce the regulations.
Previously, service providers were only required to register with the department in an informal manner. Today the system has been expanded and upgraded – the scope of SCSA’s operations and its responsibilities have increased when compared with those of its predecessor. The entity does not only publish legal notices and standards, but also reinforces these standards and monitors their implementation.
At its inception, the SCSA set up three separate offices to deal with the specialised services offered: the licensing and legal office oversees the acceptance and review of licence applications; the regulations and standards office revises existing standards and establishes new ones; and the inspectorate office assesses existing services through on-site visits, which can be announced or not.
Currently, the authority also houses three other offices.
These are the central authority office which liaisons with its international counterparts and ensures the authority’s compliance with the relevant conventions and council regulations; the corporate services office which is responsible for the corporate and human resource aspects of the authority; and the quality assurance and communications office which processes feedback received on social services, communication and marketing aspects of the SCSA.
Our mission is to enforce the regulation of social care services through dialogue and collaboration
When compared to other international authorities in the social sector, the SCSA operates in a very similar manner.
Our basis for this authority stemmed from the best models available, such as the care quality commission in the United Kingdom, which is hailed as one of the best in its sector due to its efficiency, effectiveness and transparency.
One of the key differences between the SCSA and its international counterparts is that regulating authorities tend to focus on a specific sector in social care, whereas in Malta there is one authority overseeing all services related to the area.
This translates to over 250 services from all sectors of society, including government, NGOs, Church and private, and an expense of €200 million every year in funding for social welfare services.
Any entity interested in opening a residence or in providing a service in social care needs to acquire a licence to do so from the SCSA as per chapter 582 of the law.
During its first year of operation, the SCSA granted more than 100 licences to entities operating within the field of social care, has been on more than 500 visits to service providers, and continues to work with vigour to process and evaluate the applications received.
Since 2018, we have published the standards for adoptions, respite services for people with disabilities, and residential services for people with disabilities.
The SCSA is currently working on the social regulatory standards for residential services offered to individuals with drug, alcohol and gambling related problems, as well as the alternative care standards.
This year we organised the first National Adoption Conference in partnership with the ministry for the family, children’s rights and social solidarity in April.
The event was regarded as a remarkable success as the first conference of its kind in Malta.
The social care standards authority’s mission is to enforce the regulation of social care services through clear dialogue and effective collaboration with those involved: service users, their loved ones and stakeholders.
While one of our aims is to inspire service providers, the authority’s best interest will always be the safety and security of the service users, whom we strive to empower through our actions.
Matthew Vella is chief executive officer, Social Care Standards Authority.