Updated 6.10pm, adds Dar Arka statement

Police are investigating reports that two carers at Dar L-Arka in Gozo abused a disabled resident in the church-run home.

The carers have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, the ministry for inclusion said in a statement on Wednesday.

Dar Arka confirmed the reports in a statement later saying the allegations are of physical abuse and they involve one resident with a disability at the home.

It said that it had suspended the workers and reported them to Aġenzija Sapport, the Social Care Standards Authority and the police.

Dar Arka also said that the Gozo diocese had appointed a board of discipline for the necessary steps to be taken. The case had also been reported to the Safeguarding Commission of the diocese.

The ministry had said earlier that the agency and the authority had received confidential reports in the past days on the alleged abuse by the two carers.

Dar Arka is a respite centre in Għajnsielem, run by Arka Foundation, which is a church-run, voluntary, non-governmental organisation that houses people with disabilities and promotes their welfare. 

The centre, which was opened 25 years ago, also offers a wide range of services to people with special needs and their families, including a respite service.

The government said in its statement that the authority had reported the alleged abuse to the police, who are investigating.

The authority also launched its own internal investigation into the claims.