Supporting children coming from separated and divorced families in the primary sector : the counsellors’ stories

Abstract

The education system in Malta has recognised the crucial importance of providing an equal opportunity for education all children to succeed. However not all children in our educational system come from a nuclear family background. An increasing number of children are coming from a separated or divorced family background. Many of these children face tremendous difficulties in coping with what is happening at home while achieving success at school. This study aims to explore the counselling support provided to primary school children whose parents have either separated or divorced. The author conducted interview conversations with eight counsellors working in our educational system. These counsellors were divided into two groups: four of them work in the state school sector, while four of them work in the church school sector. The results show that teachers should not expect children coming from separated or divorced family backgrounds to forget their family situation when at school. Results also show that, certain children encounter so many complex problems that they might require extra support in order to be able to keep up with their class. Counsellors highlighted that closer cooperation between themselves, teachers and parents would help these children cope with their family situation while maintaining educational level at school.