• Promoting research on contemporary issues of family life, with particular reference to the Maltese cultural context and with an emphasis on the promotion of resilience in family members. Policies which focus on prevention are prioritised.  

• Ensuring that Postgraduate courses and other training offered by the department are of a very high standard.

• Attracting and supervising Ph.D. students.

• Networking and liaising with centres and organisations related to Family Studies, both locally and overseas.

• Offering consultative services in the field of family-related matters to governmental and non-governmental institutions assisting families.

Our interests cover children, parents, couple family relationships. We are particularly interested in parenting, parenting in adversity, particularly in the context of trauma such as domestic violence and in poverty. We are also interested in fatherhood.

To find out more about the specific research interests of our staff, have a look at the individual staff profiles.