A public consultation has been launched by the Government regarding the reform of the Personal Assistance scheme for Persons with Disabilities.

This reform will be managed by Agenzija Sapport. The details were announced by the Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli on Monday.

The proposed plan includes the full collaboration of various social partners including the disabled themselves, key professionals and experts from the disability sector, and local and foreign civil society organisations including the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL).

Minister Farrugia Portelli described this reform as a “step forward by a nation that wants to be at the forefront of the move towards more independence for people with disabilities.”

“With what we are proposing, Malta will be one of the first countries that will be implementing the Personal Assistance service according to the principle of the UNCRPD,” said Farrugia Portelli.

“We want to remove the fears that parents have to that point when they are not around, which often leads to pushing the concept that a parent will have to put their disabled children in an institution. The personal assistant offers the necessary tools for a disabled person to live independently in their own home,” said Minister Farrugia Portelli.

In a message sent by Ines Bulic, Director of the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL), she praised Malta for this step it is taking in what she described as a crucial tool for the independent life of people with disabilities.

Ines Bulic said that ENIL has been and will continue to be helpful to Malta in the implementation of this measure and she is convinced that Malta will succeed in its implementation.

The Chief Executive of Agenzija Sapport Oliver Scicluna referred to this reform as crucial in the move towards the deinstitutionalisation of persons with disabilities, with the aim of enabling them to live independently in the community and reach the -their aspirations.

He added that this requires services such as the Independent Community Living Scheme to be transformed into one of Personal Assistance, while addressing challenges that current services and schemes are presenting.

Through this public consultation, the public is being invited to submit their suggestions regarding the framework that is being proposed. This reform will be giving rise to a greater opportunity for disabled people to have more autonomy over the choice of personal assistants.

The Government said that “this is because the person with a disability will be able to choose the services and the personal assistant and will be given the resources to be able to do this. All this is complementing the various services offered while it also means that current services are modified and new ones are developed.”

The public is encouraged to send their suggestions until the 30th of November, by accessing the document of the proposed reform from here.

Suggestions can also be sent through an online form from this site, or by email at pa.reform.sapport@gov.mt or in writing to the address Agenzija Sapport, Reforma Personal Assistant, Professional Development Centre, Triq il-Harrub, Santa Venera.

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