Care within care.
How young people can empower younger
people in care.
MCAST.
 MCAST was set up in 2000. It is the Malta
College of Arts, Science and Technology and
is the main provider of VET provision in
Malta.
 Courses in Health and Social Care from first
diploma level upwards are BTEC-MCAST
certified and are offered at the Institute of
Community Services.
Levels of Health and Social Care
courses.
 Pre-foundation and Foundation level courses (NVQ
level 1),
 First Diploma level courses (NVQ level 2),
 National Diploma level courses (NVQ level 3),
 Higher National Diploma (HND) level courses (NVQ
level 4 and 5).
 A ‘Top-up degree course’ (NVQ level 6) will be offered from 2011.
Health and Social Care courses.
 All have a theoretical and practical
component.
 Placements can take place throughout the
academic year (usually on a once-weekly
basis) and/or take the form of block
placements.
First Diploma Health and Social Care.
 All students carry out at least two placements in
Health and Social Care settings during an academic
year.

Client-groups:
Elderly,
Children (in care),
People with special needs.
 In 2009-2010, there were five classes of students
with roughly 25 students in each.
First Diploma in Care leads to …
 A minority terminate their studies at this level
and find employment.
 Others can choose between furthering their
studies at MCAST in either child care, health
care studies, or social care studies.
 They also have the possibility of furthering
their studies abroad, or of attending the
University of Malta (subject to their meeting
the stipulated eligibility criteria) .
Participants.
 20 students who are reading for their first
diploma in Health and Social Care in the
academic year 2009 – 2010.
 Age-range of participants: 16-18 (standard
age for students who take up this course).
 Completed either first or second placement
with children in care.
What this research is about.
 1. Students were asked to carry out a task as
part of their assessed placement in order to
engage younger people (children in care),
aged 12 to 14, in learning about a topic of
these children’s own choosing.
 2. They were asked to engage in a dialogue
based on a Philosophy for Children
methodology after having completed the task
set.
Philosophy for children (P4C).
 This is an experiential teaching method
that shares with philosophy reflection on
such themes as:
 What is justice?
 What is beauty?
 What is real?
 What is the right thing to do?
 How can I be sure of what I know?
(P4C) focuses on aspects such as:
 Ethical: Wrong, good, duty, and compassion.
 Metaphysical: Real, unreal, time.
 Logical: Reasons, Cause/effect, if/then
relationships.
 Epistemological: Knowledge, opinion, truth.
 Political: Fairness, justice, power,
government.
Underlying tenets of this research
study.
 1. Research bridges youth work (and training
in health and social care) with informal
education and pedagogy.
 2. Research adopts what could be called a
young person to young person perspective
since it is focused on appraising how 16 to 18
year olds (the students at MCAST) can
empower children in care.
Methodology (1).
 My personal observation of students whilst on
placement in a combined placement-tutor and
researcher role.
 My carrying out focus-groups wherein the
students assigned to children in care were
asked to explore (1) whether they helped the
children to interact and (2) the influence that
these activities had on them.
Methodology (2).
 Focus groups were carried out at the end of the
academic year. Two focus groups were held, one
group with students from one class and one with
students from the other.
 Two of the total of five classes reading for the first
diploma in health and social care were selected to
participate in this study (these were the classes I
lectured to and for whom I carried out placementvisits).
Child-care settings in Malta.
 Run by the Church.
 Children are assigned to care for a variety of
reasons including child abuse, parental
neglect, poverty, and sometimes serious
illness of the carer.
Examples of activities carried out.
 1. Cutting out pictures from magazine that
say something about a child’s aspirations and
then discussing them.
 2. Cutting out pictures from magazines about
a particular topic and then discussing them.
 3. Giving each child a paper square,
engaging them in making it into a windmill,
attaching it to a stick, using pins and butterfly
clips, drawing their own designs on it, and
engaging them in discussing why water is
important and why life is important.
Examples of activities carried out.
 4. Cutting out pictures to form a thank-you
card. Discussing what gratitude means.
 5. Drawing of hands and names and
discussing the meaning of identity.
 6. Drawing pencil marks to divide a large
paper into four parts and engaging the
students in drawing something where the
individual parts were complementary.
Discussion on cooperation and teamwork.
Results (1).
 The students noted that the children
sometimes had a different way of perceiving
the world than they did. They noted that they
had to make an effort to enter the child’s
world and to offer appropriate support and
challenge. During my observations, I noted
that this is helped along when the students
and children manage to establish an effective
working relationship with one another.
Results (2).
 The students noted that a child needs
encouraging words that are focused on a
particular effort that s/he has made. They
concluded that such words encourage the
child to question what s/he has done right
and to generate self-confidence and this
allows him/her to open up more during
discussions. During my placements, I
observed that when feedback was specific, it
was more likely to be appreciated and
understood by children.
Results (3).
 The students noted that the children had a
natural inclination towards fairness and social
justice and would feel awkward if they were
given more time and attention than their
peers. During my observations, I noted that
when the students were perceived as
pleasant and loving, this serves to lead
children to open up about issues that concern
them.
Results (4).
 The students noted that when the children did
something erstwhile for one another, they felt
valued. Rather than wanting other people to
do things for them, they sought to discover
ways and means in which they could serve
others besides themselves. During my
observations, I noted how, these children
readily shared things and also how they
disclosed to one another thereby manifesting
trust.
Excerpts from focus-group.
 “When I explored the topic of life and death,
one of the children who had never spoken up
much, said that he associates life with hope,
with never giving up, and with a better future.
He said it was like an arrow going forwards all
the time. I was struck by this child’s maturity.”
Excerpts from focus-group.
 “When I explored with my group why changes
are always happening, one child said that if
there were to be no change, then there would
follow on a loss of hope, since people
constantly strive for change. I went home
thinking about it and remembered St.
Augistine’s words that “my soul will never be
at peace until it rests in Yee.” I just thought it
strange that this particular person would
stimulate this reflection in me”.
Conclusion.
 The students were motivated by their feeling
involved and empowered in their care of the
children.
 The children also felt highly involved as could
be judged by their participation in the
dialogues with the students about the range
of topics raised.