Gozo News

The Malta Sociological Association has submitted a proposal ‘Family Social Program‘

The Ministry of Social Policy and Child Rights, which launched the public consultation last month, said the proposed social plan “is specifically tailored to the diverse and evolving needs of our society, with a special focus on families facing significant challenges. The overall goal of the plan is to empower families and improve their overall quality of life.”

MSA said it welcomed the planned work on the proposed scheme and, more importantly, the intention to develop a comprehensive implementation and monitoring framework for it.

In particular, the MSA points to the following statement: “To ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the social program, a high-level implementation and monitoring team will be established. The team will develop a comprehensive monitoring framework with quantitative indicators and timelines for each initiative, as well as qualitative assessments through surveys and stakeholder engagement feedback.” (PCD, p. 12).

In its feedback, MSA recommended “adopting an approach that is consistent with the standards and principles developed by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), in particular those governing social impact assessments.”

It explains that the International Principles of Social Impact Assessment define SIA as “the process of analysing, monitoring and managing the intended and unintended social consequences (both positive and negative) of planned interventions (policies, programmes, plans, projects), and any processes of social change induced by these interventions.”

MSA concluded that the IAIA Principles provide an effective and structured framework for implementing and monitoring the High-Level Panel. Importantly, sufficient resources need to be invested in this High-Level Panel and the ongoing research if it is to have an impact.

File photo: Gozo News/Alain Salvary