Teens sleeping rough and who have to work after school are among the more extreme cases seeking help from social services, CEO Alfred Grixti said.

Grixti spoke to Times of Malta at the launch of the Foundation for Social Welfare Service’s annual report.

While the foundation doesn’t deal with the majority of cases related to youth services, Grixti said some of its most vulnerable service users are sixth-formers who are functionally homeless and need to either work after school or find ways to pay rent as they try to continue their education.

“Thankfully, these cases are the exception rather than the rule,” he said.

“But unfortunately sometimes, either because of a disagreement in the family or because of other difficulties, they find themselves having to work while continuing their studies.” 

For those who have “fallen through the cracks” Grixti said the FSWS is continually investing in transition homes for teens in difficulty or who have aged out of the care system to live semi-independently until they can get back on their feet.

“We started these projects some years back through EU funds and today they are mainstreamed through national funds,” he said.

“Essentially we offer them a place to live where they don’t have to pay rent, where they can learn to live independently and eventually save up until they are able to leave.”

‘Young people getting a kick out of violence on social media’ 

Asked about videos of teens fighting and beating each other circulating on social media, Grixti said that while such incidents appear to be isolated, he believes that young people are being influenced by the content they are consuming on social media.

“I think it’s a reflection of what they are seeing online. It doesn’t matter if it happens on the other side of the world if you’re seeing it on your phone in Malta, the world is a global village,” he said.

“While I don’t think it’s a part of our culture I think that the violent entertainment they consume is giving them some sort of kick.” 

While violence and online bullying in schools is nothing new, he said that schools are becoming more proactive and seeking help from social services to deal with it.

“In my days as a head teacher, they used to tell us if it doesn’t happen at school then there’s nothing we can do about it,” Grixti said.

“Thankfully this has changed and we even had a case where the school reached out and we came in to support the management and even involved the community police to address the issues that were happening.” 

Who is making use of social services? 

According to the report, the FSWS dealt with 24,472 people who asked for their help in 2022, a 4.35% increase from the year prior.

The majority (54%) of those seeking help were women and Maltese nationals (85.8%).

Grixti also noted that the majority of foreigners who seek help with social services are British nationals (12%) and that non-Maltese men (52%) were more likely to seek help.

Service users were also most likely to live in the northern harbour (26%) and southern harbour (23%) districts. Grixti said this directly corresponds to some of the most populated areas in the country as documented by the most recent census and includes densely populated towns like Birkirara, St Paul’s Bay and Żejtun.

After health-related issues, cases of child abuse are the second most common types of issues that the foundation worked on last year, followed by addiction, domestic violence and mental health.

Grixti said that a rise in documented child abuse can be directly linked to the passing of laws that introduced mandatory reporting. He said the FSWS receive and investigate an average of 200 cases a month.

Make an effort to reach out to people in need - Michael Falzon 

Addressing the conference, Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon praised foundation workers for their efforts and encouraged them to reach out to people they know may be in distress.

“I know the letter of your job asks you to help the people who come to you for help but when it is you who reaches out to them, it’s magical,” Falzon said.

“I know from experience it’s not easy to be understanding and non-judgemental, but for that person you are helping it is a magical experience, because they didn’t have to do it themselves.” 

People’s problems are not going to disappear if they are ignored, he said adding that going the extra step can make all the difference in the life of someone experiencing difficulties.

He also urged social workers to encourage their clients to reach high and improve themselves.

“Our intention as a department is always to get bigger and not smaller,” he said.

“So if there are people that you can help, help them and raise them up and push them to advance where they can. No one’s story is the same and I believe that every person has something to offer.”