The government has launched a campaign to encourage more people to become foster carers.
Social policy and children's rights minister Michael Falzon said on Friday people should not pass judgement on the circumstances that lead to a child no longer living with their biological parents.
"But we also have to understand that this is sometimes a reality. As the saying goes, you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family," Falzon said.
The minister said that while in other countries fostering was often seen as a way for carers to make money, this was not the case in Malta.
"Children aren't expecting charity, but human contact," he said.
Remenda Grech, the director for alternative care at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, said that fostering was one of the most altruistic decisions an individual or family could make.
"It's not just about providing homes for children, but also security, love and hope for a better future," she said.
She referred to the Minor Protection (Alternative Care) Act, introduced in 2020 with the aim of making life easier for both foster carers and the children in their care. These include the provision of regular therapeutic assessments for children by a team of counsellors and therapists, the right for carers to have access to children's medical records, and allowing carers to open a bank account for children.
Alfred Grixti, CEO of the FSWS, said foster carers were the unsung heroes of society who, together with social workers, went against the current of an increasingly self-centered world by seeking to give to society more than they received from it.
"These are Malta's children. We have a responsibility towards them as a nation," he said.
The campaign will include short TV ads encouraging those who are interested in fostering to call the FSWS on 1778.
There are currently 237 children in foster care, of which 26 are aged 18 and over.
A total of 128 children with permanency status, which is given when reunification with a child's biological family has been deemed unviable. It allows for long-term fostering and gives peace of mind and emotional stability to both carers and children.
So far 16 children who were being fostered have been adopted since the establishment of the Minor Protection Act.