No place to call home in one’s educational journey : how can the Maltese educational system support primary education students who are in out-of-home-care and homeless living circumstances?

Abstract

This research study identified a connection between Out-of-Home Care (OHC) and homelessness, according to FEANTSA (2005). The study aimed to identify the current supportive practices that in the educational system, whilst also providing conceivable ideas of any improvements that can better support children in OHC. Foreign literature identifies that there is an educational attainment gap between children residing in residential care and those who live with their families (Cusworth et al., 2021). The limited research literature on this subject in Malta also suggested a similar educational attainment gap (Abela et al., 2012). The research enquiry was tackled qualitatively through semi-structured interviews and analysed through a thematic analysis. The analysis produced seven themes that suggested the importance of giving the children the opportunity to live a normal life whilst still addressing their specific individualised needs in a professional manner, implying a shift from pitying to empathising. Consequently, this research study concluded that only an individualised education programme for all students will achieve the best for the most disadvantaged children, and OHC children carry with them a history of disadvantage. Social work is ideally suited to contributed to the individualisation of education programmes for OHC children while ensuring the normalisation of their education experience.