The Directorate for Alternative Care (Children and Youth), aims at safeguarding the wellbeing of all children in out of home care, vulnerable youths and young adults. The Directorate strives to ensure that their voice is heard, they have the opportunity to exercise their rights and ensuring their safety throughout their development.
Throughout its myriad of services, including Adoption, Fostering, Looked After Children, Pediatric Support, Supervised Access Visits, Youths Services, After Care service and its own community homes, support is given to all those part of the out-of-home care experience, facilitating reunification, when possible. The ultimate goal is to see children and youth encompassing their journey towards adulthood in a safe, nurturing, and stable environment.
As part its vision, the Directorate for Alternative Care (Children and Youth) aims at attuning to new trends emerging from the community, direct practice and research and through the enhancement and development of its services, in order to keep providing the best approach when supporting children, youth and their support network.
Through a collaborative approach with every stakeholder who is present in the life of each child and youth, the Directorate designs individualised care plans, reflecting the social and legal parameters by which it safeguards their care. Care plans are reviewed periodically so to ensure that these would still be reflecting the best interest of the child and youth. Apart from focusing on the holistic development of the child and youth, care plans also take into account:
Reunifications with birth families;
Permanency, whether it is in Foster Care, Residential Care and/or Community Care;
Freeing up for adoption and;
Aftercare
