The future of children in Creche care : what services were they offered

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to research the effects that residential care has on children. Residential social work is defined as the "service given to persons who for one reason or another cannot have their social needs met while living at home" (Howard Jones, 1979 - Pg.1). In Malta, the youngest persons receiving care are mainly catered for by religious Orders, namely the Ursoline Congregation, providing what Beedell calls "holding provision, nurturing provision and integrity provision" (Beedell Christopher, 1970, Pg.79). This is analogous to past, present and future scenarios, where accepting care is given on admission, nurturing takes place during upbringing and emphasis on the integrity of each child encourages development for future needs and actions. What one needs to retain in his understanding of child care, is that provision for nurture in residential settings should be aimed at having very brief periods of care and an emphasis put on rehabilitation. This may seem to be an utopic thought, because what in fact is seen, is that there exists a tendency for children to go through a system of institutes. Residential care is provided keeping in mind that a child has need for a family unit and that in cases of the family's inadequacies only, should society provide for care.