“I am deeply troubled by how we have arrived at such a distressing situation. I have just returned from a meeting with the Social Care Standards Authority, which the Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability was invited to attend at the request of parents who had lodged complaints regarding the respite service their son was receiving.

“This meeting was convened for the benefit of their son and all other users of the respite service.

“MFOPD attended this meeting with the sole intention of ensuring that it would lead to positive and meaningful improvements to the service. Unfortunately, this was not the outcome. The meeting ended abruptly, with both the parents and MFOPD leaving before any constructive resolution could be reached.

“I remain perplexed by the manner in which the parents were treated. The person chairing the meeting openly admitted that he had only become familiar with the case in the past two days, yet repeatedly insinuated that the parents were directing blame towards one of the residents.

“This narrative was reiterated to such an extent that MFOPD felt compelled to clarify that the concerns raised were not limited to the parents’ son, but reflected the experiences of other service users as well. MFOPD’s aim was to ensure that this meeting would lead to tangible change. Regrettably, the meeting fell far short of what MFOPD had reasonably expected. MFOPD was even told that it was free to pursue this matter outside of the meeting.

“MFOPD will not tolerate parents being spoken to in such a manner, nor will it accept such attitudes from a government entity. Parents are the voice of their children and must be treated with respect. It was equally disrespectful for such an attitude to be directed towards the national umbrella organisation for the disability sector. Around ten individuals were present at the table (excluding the parents and MFOPD’s representative), yet only the Chair spoke – despite stating that he had only become acquainted with the case two days prior.

“MFOPD sincerely hopes that it does not continue to witness such attitudes towards parents of persons with disabilities when they advocate on behalf of their children. MFOPD has chosen to speak out publicly because this is not the first time it has become aware of similar situations involving other entities. Parents must be encouraged to speak up when issues arise; otherwise, nothing will change. Authorities must listen, understand, and act.

“No parent and no person with a disability should ever be ignored.”

Marthese Mugliette,

MFOPD President.

 

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