Ministry confirms child under protection order left Malta illegally with mother

A foster child granted a protection order from her birth mother illegally escaped Malta, likely with the help of her mother, the Ministry for Family has confirmed. 

The child was living with a foster family but was granted unsupervised access to her mother for a number of hours on weekends. This was made possible following a decision taken by the review board, as the child herself had expressed a desire to spend more time with her mother. This was done as part of a reintegration plan. 

On 12 October, the Directorate for Alternative Care was informed by the foster family that the mother failed to return the child back home. When social workers visited the mother's house they found the door shut with a padlock, after which a report was filed with the police. 

Later that same day, police notified the Directorate that the mother was located in another European country, while the Immigration Office at Malta International Airport confirmed that the girl travelled illegally.

The Directorate for Children is maintaining continuous communication with the police and other relevant authorities, and the foster family is being provided all possible assistance. 

Europol has been contacted so that they can assist in the case.