Mission Statement
National Foster Care Association Malta is about caring for children in care who are part and parcel of the local community and tomorrow’s generation. Our mission is to work with all those involved in fostering in order to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people. NFCAM strives to achieve better living conditions for children and youth in residential care, by working in close collaboration with local government agencies and individuals in the field of foster care. NFCAM also supports local foster carers encouraging them to share experiences and ideas for the full benefit of the children and youth in care.
NFCAM Executive Committee 2024
NFCAM was founded in November 2005. Since its foundation, the association had the intention to unite all national foster carers and professionals in this sector together, with the ultimate goal that a friendly forum is created, so those foster families will share their experiences and ideas, and eventually, the children in care will benefit.
CHAIRPERSON: Mr Paul Gatt
SECRETARY: Ms Doreen Mallia
TREASURER: Ms Fiona Borg Bonello
ADVISOR: Mr. John Rolè
PR & COMMUNICATIONS: Mr. Bernard Grima
EVENTS COORDINATORS: Ms Marion Mallia,
IT: Mr John Rolè & Bernard Grima
Aims & Objectives
It has been in our culture and tradition that a child whose family would be passing through a difficult situation the extended family would intervene to help out in his or her upbringing. This moral contribution towards a child in need kept minors living in a family environment, a much needed ingredient for the well-being of any human being. As time passed by, society progressed, sometimes becoming complicated and problematic leaving such children with fewer opportunities than before.
Inform & Educate
Inform and educate the general public what is fostering and what it entails.
Training
Train and assess new prospective foster carers so as to match adequately the needs of the child to be fostered according to the strengths of the foster carers.
Support
Offering support to the foster carers through supervision of placements, continuous training and support groups.
What We Do
It isn’t easy to be a kid these days; and, for some kids, it’s almost unbearable. Faced with physical and emotional abuse, drugs, and peer pressure it’s enough to send any child into crisis. Every day, our knowledgeable, caring foster cares, foster care team, and NFCAM members work hard to bring kids the peace they so desperately need by meeting their basic needs of safety and belonging, while encouraging their healthy emotional and social well-being. NFCAM provides a platform and a voice for foster carers and children in care to benefit from the safety and nurturing of the foster homes that have been chosen just for them. In return, foster carers receive training and support, as well as government financial support to cover some of the foster children’s expenses.
Level of Care
We believe the first placement is the best placement. There are different levels of care and varying lengths of stay for different placement situations. NFCAM strives to ensure the best for children in care.
Children Served
In addition to meeting basic needs, children in care encounter social and emotional difficulties, medical issues, developmental delays, learning problems, psychological and psychiatric issues and behavioural challenges. NFCAM endeavours to guide foster cares to get the best support for their children in care.
Permanency
The goal at NFCAM is always to be the voice for children and young people to achieve permanency in the care system. Sometimes that means children are reunited with their biological families. But other times, parental rights are terminated, and the children need to find new homes.
Become a Foster Carer
Every year, children enter the foster care system with a powerful need for stability, happiness, belonging, safety and love. You can make a tremendous difference in your own life and the life of a child by opening your home and your heart. Consider being a foster parent for a child who needs you. Foster care is a temporary arrangement that’s necessary for children who are unable to remain in their own homes due to abuse, neglect, mental health needs, or some other issue that has created an unsafe environment. NFCAM promotes foster care for children and supports foster carers who care for them until they can be returned to their own home or to a relative’s care, or until a more stable plan is made.
Together Facing the Challenge
NFCAM understands that providing foster care to children and adolescents requires knowledge about the effects of trauma on the developing child. We strive to improve support between caseworkers and foster carers, provide support to foster carers through support groups to address the effective use of behaviour management strategies and other useful techniques and most of all we try and do our best to enrich the relationship between foster carers and the children and youth in their care. As much as possible we work closely with foster carers to make a difference in the lives of children and youth in care.
Training and Resources
What sets NFCAM apart from other programs is the wide selection of informative media and books on Trauma, Child Abuse, and Attachment to name a few, intended to widen foster carers knowledge, making a difference in a young person’s life. NFCAM members interested in borrowing any material please contact us to view our bookstore and related DVDs. Any donation in aid to extend this library is greatly appreciated.