The future of Maltese society Social Policy
Achieving citizens’ aspirations requires a robust vision that allows the government to plan ahead with a view to addressing future needs and challenges. With this goal in mind, the government has embarked on an ambitious initiative aimed at developing a vision for the social sector entitled ‘A Social Vision for Malta 2035: shaping the future of our society’.
Malta’s Social Vision is designed to build on the principles of social justice and solidarity and provide an opportunity for citizens to aspire to a better quality of life. To ensure that a comprehensive approach is adopted in the development of this vision, a prior consultation process has taken place. The sectors identified include: people at risk of poverty and social exclusion; children; people with disabilities; young people; elderly; families; people with addiction problems; reintegration of ex-offenders; violence, abuse and exploitation; LGBTIQ + and migration.
The pre-consultation contributed to the development of the first draft of the Malta Social Vision which is expected to be launched for consultation in the coming weeks. Malta’s Vision for the social sector is expected to provide the necessary direction and be complemented by a number of policy documents and action plans to be published in the future. This approach is expected to contribute to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the measures implemented within the sector as well as contributing to improving synergies across different policy areas.
Children are the future of our society and need special attention, especially children who are at risk of poverty.
In this context, the government has developed Malta’s National Action Plan to obtain the European Child Guarantee. This Action Plan outlines current and future initiatives that contribute to the prevention of social exclusion while further strengthening efforts to guarantee access to quality services for children in need, in particular in areas including: education and early childhood care, education (including school-based schooling). activities), healthcare, nutrition and housing.
In addition, plans are under way to start a prior consultation process regarding the development of a family-focused policy framework. The reason is to provide appropriate policy instruments that address today’s realities and provide the necessary support to families with a view to improving their quality of life.
In recent years, efforts have been made with a view to adopting a citizen-centered approach. In this regard, the Division has launched an extensive initiative aimed at assessing the relevance and adequacy of the current Social Security Act. In addition, as part of this initiative, efforts are being made to simplify legislative instruments and avoid any unnecessary administrative burdens, where possible.
Adopting a citizen-centered approach requires clear communication. In this regard, the need was felt to improve and simplify communication with the general public with a view to making it more understandable to the target audience. This is particularly relevant when such communication involves legal language, targeting children, and more. In this context, the Division in collaboration with the Representation of the European Commission in Malta is addressing a conference focusing on the concept of Clear Copywriting. This event will focus on the concept of simple writing in documents / letters with the aim of enabling the reader to understand the message more clearly, thus ensuring more effective communication with the reader. general public.
The needs of society are changing and the government as a policy maker needs to plan properly with a view to meeting the aspirations of Maltese citizens. It is in this context that the government is focusing its efforts on consolidating its policy framework in order to better address current and future challenges while meeting citizens’ expectations.
This is one of a series of articles commemorating Social Justice Month organized by the Ministry for Social Policy and the Rights of the Child.
Denise Fiorentino is Director General (Research, Policy and Operations), Ministry of Social Policy and Children’s Rights.
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