https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/321 Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:18:39 GMT 2026-06-21T00:18:39Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147512 Title: PROMISE : poverty observatory biannual bulletin : issue 2 Abstract: The second issue of the PROMISE Biannual Bulletin focuses on childhood poverty, a reality which severely limits a person’s life opportunities. Eradicating child poverty should therefore be a sustained policy target, by framing child poverty as a matter of political choices rather than financial or technical possibilities. The Statistical Snapshot presents an overview of key data which show a dip in the Maltese child AROPE rates in 2025 after an overall incline from 2020. Child AROPE rates remain consistently above general population AROPE rates; and the drivers of these elevated rates are highlighted.; In the feature article, Prof. Carmel Borg discusses the role which schools can play as community hubs in countering inequality and promoting social justice, highlighting education as a key factor that can enable children to carve a pathway out of poverty. Although local communities are not extensively involved in schooling, there are myriad community initiatives addressing child poverty. This publication profiles Dar Frate Jacoba, a residential educational therapeutic programme rooted in nature, alongside reflections by Sr Magdalene, a key figure in the Ursuline Sisters’ mission to provide loving care to disadvantaged children.; The latest poverty-related policy developments in Malta and at EU level are briefly described.; A historical spotlight is then shone on the evolution of child poverty over the past 70 years since the publication of the Survey of Child-Welfare Problems in Malta. It also explores a more contemporary perspective of poverty in St Patrick’s residence and school from a social work perspective.; The Initiatives and Innovations section recognises entities’ efforts in supporting children, including child-focused voluntary work abroad by the University Chaplaincy, The Blossom Project (Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, MFWS), Nourishing Young Minds (St Jean Antide Foundation, SJAF), The Children’s Manifesto (MFWS) and the integration of child migrants (Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers, AWAS).; Finally, this issue features two resources focusing on child poverty and responses at a European level. Description: For accessibility and reading preference purposes, a text-only version of this publication is also available. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147512 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147482 Title: Navigating absence : a grounded theory of adults’ retrospective accounts of childhood parental incarceration in Malta Authors: Xiberras, Sarah; Clark, Marilyn Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to develop an explanatory framework for understanding how children of incarcerated parents negotiate the experience of having a parent in prison, including both the risks they face and the strengths they build. The research examines this retrospectively, by investigating how individuals who are now adults navigated parental incarceration in Malta, a small-state context where stigma and social exclusion are intensified.; Design/methodology/approach – Using grounded theory methodology and a constructivist epistemology, the study developed a substantive level theory rooted in participants’ interpretations and grounded in meanings constructed through social interactions. Framed by a risk and resilience approach, eight Maltese adults (aged 18–40) who experienced parental incarceration between ages 6–18 participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method, producing four interlinked conceptual categories.; Findings – The emergent explanatory framework highlights that children of incarcerated parents face multiple risks and repercussions, including the initial loss of the parent, navigating between home and prison worlds, experiencing courtesy stigma and enduring long-term emotional and relational impacts. These findings reveal parental incarceration as dynamic and enduring. Yet, protective mechanisms such as open communication, supportive caregiving and maintaining positive contact with the incarcerated parent, mitigated adverse effects and fostered adaptation, adjustment and resilience.; Practical implications – The study emphasises the need for interventions that prioritise children’s voices, strengthen family support systems and promote resilience-building through school and community networks.; Originality/value – By centring on children’s lived experiences of parental incarceration in Malta, this study fills a critical gap in the local literature. It complements and extends international quantitative research by offering a culturally grounded, qualitative perspective that captures nuanced socioemotional processes often overlooked. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147482 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147473 Title: Parenting under scrutiny : disability, motherhood, and the legacy of ableism Authors: Azzopardi Lane, Claire; Azzopardi, Andrew Abstract: This article examines how ableism, disablism, and structurally produced vulnerability shape disabled mothers’ experiences of pregnancy and parenting in Malta. Drawing on feminist disability studies, reproductive justice, and the social relational model of disability, the study situates disabled motherhood within enduring eugenic legacies and contemporary forms of reproductive governance that position disabled women as inherently risky, incompetent, or unfit to parent. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with four disabled mothers and two social workers working with parents with intellectual disabilities. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, informed by Thomas’s social relational model of disability and Reeve’s concept of psycho-emotional disablism.; Findings are organised around three interrelated themes: ableism, disablism, and structurally produced vulnerability. The analysis demonstrates how disabled mothers are subject to heightened surveillance, conditional recognition, and persistent scrutiny by healthcare, education, and child protection systems. These experiences are not reducible to impairment effects but are produced through inaccessible environments, deficit-based professional practices, communication barriers, and risk-averse institutional cultures. Professional narratives further reveal how vulnerability is often individualised and pathologised, obscuring the structural conditions that undermine disabled parents’ autonomy and rights.; Situated within Malta’s conservative reproductive regime and small-state welfare context, the study contributes empirical insight into how global disability inequalities are locally enacted. The article argues for a shift towards rights-based, disability-justice-informed parenting policies and practices that recognise disabled parents as legitimate, competent, and rights-holding individuals. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147473 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147460 Title: The gateway to clarity. Cultivating self-awareness Abstract: This reflective article explores the relationship between self-awareness and clarity through the lens of emotional intelligence. Drawing on both professional experience and personal reflection, it examines how emotions can serve as valuable sources of information, helping individuals better understand their values, needs, and priorities. The article argues that clarity is rarely achieved through certainty or external answers, but rather emerges through self-awareness, reflection, and a willingness to listen to what lies beneath our emotional responses. By highlighting the role of curiosity, presence, and emotional insight, the article invites readers to cultivate the conditions that enable greater clarity, authenticity, and intentionality in their lives. Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147460 2026-06-10T00:00:00Z