Foundation wants employers to have access to sex offenders’ register

The education ministry has launched a set of 17 recommendations on the recruitment of people working with minors, in collaboration with the Lisa Maria Foundation.

The foundation, set up in the wake of the death of 15-year-old Lisa Maria Zahra, said all employers should have shared access to potential employee history before recruiting them.

Board member Winston Zahra said some of the recommendations carried with them a certain financial expense. “But the protection of children should also be as important as the financial measures taken in the country.”

Lisa Maria Zahra tragically lost her life in March 2014, in a botched suicide pact at Dingli Cliffs. A supply teacher, Erin Tanti, who Zahra was seeing at the time, is now facing charges of murder and assisted suicide, and defiling the girl.

Education minister Evarist Bartolo praised the foundation for its initiative in raising awareness on making children safer, saying that too many times no follow-up takes place on such tragic cases.

“This White Paper strikes the right balance between excessive limits and suitable measures,” Bartolo said. “The proposals are meant to enforce a continuous, holistic approach that focuses both on recruitment and on being active throughout educators’ careers.”

Zahra said the recommendations focus on the selection and training processes for new employees, and outline ethical boundaries and how educators can be appropriate role models for students.

“One of the procedures we are focusing on is better access for employers to the sex offenders’ list. Access to this list is currently very bureaucratic and expensive,” he said.

Dr Charmaine Cristiano, from the education ministry, said the sex offenders’ list should be rendered similarly to a police conduct system, that issues a certificate showing that the employee is, or is not a sex offender.

Zahra also said there should be continuity on employees’ records for recruiters to consult. “In this way, we can ensure that employers are made aware of a potential employee with a history of inappropriate behaviour.”

The document is open for public consultation until August.

Bartolo said church and independent schools should look at these recommendations to be able to make suggestions at this early stage. “We hope that these recommendations  will be enforced at every stage of an educator’s career,” he said hoping that the proposals could encourage a safer lifestyle for children.

The proposals include:

• Part of the training for educators should be focused on ethics, behaviour and professional issues. Anyone who aspires to work with minors should be governed by a Code of Ethics and they should be made aware of the breach of such issues and regulations.
• Adverts and applications for posts where adults will be working with minors should reflect the message that society is there to protect minors and that society is on the lookout for anyone who is willing to pry on our children.
• Applications must be accompanied by references from trustworthy people who can be contacted by future employers for future reference.
• Regular audits on child safety measures both in schools and educational institutions as well as other places where minors are gathered should be carried out by competent authorities.
• There should be a person in every institution who puts forward issues related to children’s well-being and to be the first port of call in cases where children’s well-being is concerned.