Child Safety Services

EDUCATION


	Student Services
	International Relations

Child Safety Services

Mission Statement:

The provision of interventive and preventive services to students, parents and schools. Offering effective and professional services catering for the needs of children who have experienced abuse.

The Main Services offered include:

	Consultation Service for schools: Offering consultation to schools whenever necessary on cases of alleged child abuse where clarity regarding recognition of cases and referral is needed. Offering advice on procedural matters, regarding referrals being made by schools.

	Co-ordination and Monitoring: A link between schools and service delivery units of Education Student Services and/or other agencies/professionals outside the Education Division.

	Intervention: Offering individual counselling to survivors of child abuse, participate in case conferences and contribute to care plans and to work in close collaboration with service delivery units of the Education Student Services and with other agencies and/or other professionals outside Education Division.

	Prevention: Offer prevention programmes to students and parents to equip with the necessary skills to avoid abuse if possible and to encourage disclosure if abuse has occurred. Also, to help develop parents' capacity to teach their children how to keep safe and to enable parents to recognise possble indicators of abuse. To promote awareness and preventive measures amongst the general public, especially through the media.

	The prevention programmes for students include:

		S.I.P.: Service Information Programme (Form 4 and 5)
		T.S.P.: Teen Safety Programme (Form 3)
		SkiPPy: Safe Kids Programme (Primary School)

	The Prevention Programmes for parent include:

		P.A.P.: Parent Awareness Programme

	Training: Training of all employees of educational establishments regarding recognition of child abuse and on the procedures to be adopted when an alleged case of child abuse occurs. Participating in in-service and professional development training.

	Research: Ongoing research in the area of child abuse.

	Participating in the Special Educational Needs Team (SENT) - a multi - disciplinary team.

Child Safety Services

Contact Persons:	Mr Mario Bezzina mario.bezzina@gov.mt Ms Carmen Bonanno carmen.bonanno@gov.mt Ms Michelle Debono michelle.debono@gov.mt Ms Lorraine Kennely lauren.kenely@educ.gov.mt Ms Felicienne Paris felicienne.paris@gov.mt

Address:	Student Services Department Child Safety Services Fra Gaetano Pace Forno Street, Hamrun HMR.1100

Telephone Number:	21226361/ 21231567 Ext 430/431

Fax Number:	21220838

Referrals:	Heads of Schools, Guidance Teachers, School Counsellors, Trainee Counsellors,Teachers, Parents,and personnel from Directorate of Education.