COMMITTED TO SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND YOUTH

"If you do not ask me,
I might never tell.
Protect Me!"
The Lisa Maria Foundation is an NGO that is committed to the safeguarding of children and youth.
Founded in 2014, the Foundation is focused on minimising the abuse and harm of children by advocating for legislation and policies that promote safeguarding at a macro level, by offering training and guidance to organisations and professionals that enhances cultures of safeguarding within organisations and by embarking on a number of awareness campaigns that increase sensitivity and action around the subject.
Our children and youth deserve protecting!
Safeguarding works … together we can minimise abuse and harm!

In a local research study some children noted that when they were ‘hit or punched, they were unaware this was abuse.’
Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta, 2023

70 - 80% of children know and trust their abusers.
Council of Europe, 2023
We can only truly implement the right safeguards for children and youth and create a culture of safety, if we first understand what places them at risk and understand the world through the child’s eyes.
The grooming and abuse of children and youth is a stark reality. Over time the spaces where children can be abused have continued to increase with the addition of gaming platforms and digital spaces that can also pose risks to children. Abusers do not always have a face anymore, but may be hiding behind a screen, IP address or even an avatar.
However safeguarding works! If we truly understand the realities faced by children, implement the right safeguards and understand that safeguarding is a shared responsibility, then together we can help that child to stay safe and find the right support.
Information and Resources

“About one third of abused children never tell anyone”
Council of Europe, 2023
Safeguarding is
everybody’s responsibility

LMF recently gave safeguarding training
to the team at JRS. It was a pleasure to see so many different professionals focused on the subject of safeguarding and showing genuine
care about the needs of
their clients.
The Lisa Maria Foundation carries out a number of projects with the aim of creating awareness, lobbying or educating professionals and the general public about the abuse and harm of children and how safeguarding can minimise these. Amongst our projects, are the ones listed below.
Some of these were shared on social media or distributed through schools to reach youth who pay be suffering whereas others target professionals and organisations with the aim of creating safer spaces for children and youth across Malta and Gozo. To find out more about our projects, you can see the write ups below.

Protect Me Campaign
This awareness campaign was a series of safeguarding messages which were shared on Facebook throughout 2023. Each post contained a strong safeguarding message targeting parents, members of organisations whilst also bearing in mind that children may also be reading them. The messages aimed to help adults to see abuse and harm from the child’s perspective and to understand how effective safeguarding can be when we regard it as a common responsibility.

Youth Awareness
These are a series of social media posts which aim at creating awareness amongst youth related to safeguarding. They encourage youth who may be struggling to confide in an adult they trust. These were created according to current trends in research which are areas of concerns for youth.

We Need To Know Campaign
If collectively we are going to take a stand against the harm and abuse of children … we need to know … the facts, so that together we can create safeguards to protect our children and youth. Through this campaign, The Lisa Maria Foundation shared quick facts from latest research to help everyone understand this reality and how these facts can be used to safeguard all children against harm. Safeguarding children and youth is everyone's responsibility.

Multi Agency Safeguarding Platform
The MSP is a new platform that is chaired by LMF and which brings together a number of professionals and stakeholders to discuss safeguarding barriers encountered. This platform collectively discuss possible solutions and involve relevant policy makers in order to lobby for changes at a national or organisational level.

World Children's Day 2024
This World Children’s Day, the foundation gifted every school in Malta and Gozo with a unique set of safeguarding posters. Every child and youth deserve to be protected against harm and abuse and every person working with them need to be given the right guidance and confidence to safeguard children. Some of these posters are designed for children’s areas and others for staff areas all aiming to give schools a proactive tool to enhance awareness and to contribute towards a culture of safeguarding. These posters communicate transparency, show how seriously the school consider safeguarding, give staff safeguarding tips and most importantly share the message with students that the school is promoting a safe space.

Pro-tect Workshops
These workshops take the subject of safeguarding to youth in schools and organisations. This project aims at amplifying the voice of youth by hearing their recommendations for the awareness of safeguarding and to include their suggestions for organisational and policy change in this regard. Pro-tect also provides a unique opportunity for youth to learn more about safeguarding musts.

Guide to Creating a Culture of Safeguarding within Organisations
In 2023, The Lisa Maria Foundation created a guide to help organisations to create a culture of safeguarding. This provides tips and considerations for the organisation to factor into their policies, procedures and every day running in the safeguarding. It reviews various elements of the organisation including recruitment, transparency, handling of complaints amongst others. If your organisation would like a copy of the Guide, feel free to contact us for a copy. The guide is also the basis of the training provided by LMF to learn how an organisation can brainstorm it with thei team and build safer spaces for children.

Safeguarding in Academia
In order to provide more of an emphasis on safeguarding during the formation of different professionals when they are still students, The Foundation has contacted a number of faculties and departments within Educational Institutions to offer lectures on the subject of safeguarding. This aims to instil the importance of safeguarding in professionals from their very foundation and alongside the importance of learning other aspects of the course.

Let us see the world through a child's eye to understand what risks may be present and to better understand their needs.
Alpine House, Naxxar Road, San Gwann
E: info@lisamaria-foundation.org
FB - TheLisaMariaFoundation
VO/1014
Beneficiary: The Lisa Maria Foundation
Bank Name: Bank of Valletta plc
Account Number: 40022689883
IBAN Number: MT42VALL22013000000040022689883
Swift Code: VALLMTMT
Where
The training can be held within the organisation premises or at an alternative venue should it be preferred. The latter may come at an extra cost. Where possible, it is recommended that the organisation premises is used, as this can support the trainer to envision the setting and integrate this knowledge into the training itself. Alternatively a visit can be organised to the organisation beforehand to have a better understanding of the setting and physical environment.
Who
The training is for anyone working with children or youth. The training can be adapted to the specifications of the setting (ie. school, chid care, sports club, voluntary organisation etc) and it can also be tailored to different groups of workers (ie. teachers, heads of schools, supporting staff, carers, coaches etc).
Creating a Culture of Safeguarding Training within Organisations
The Lisa Maria Foundation is committed to the safeguarding of children and youth. With this tailored training we hope to support your organisation in creating a safeguarding culture for the children and youth within your care. We firmly believe that safeguarding is a topic which requires ongoing attention and this training aims at reminding your teams of the importance of safeguarding, arming them with information to increase their sensitivity to abuse and harm of children and creating a unique space for discussion amongst your team members. The provision of materials as part of the training aim at taking the discussion and tools beyond the training time and instead encouraging your teams to use this as a working tool to brainstorm, reflect and implement healthy safeguarding measures. By doing so you are indirectly communicating to your teams that safeguarding is high on the agenda of the organisation and that conversations and feedback are welcomed. One of the main objectives of 2023 was to create a tool that could be used by organisations who work with children and youth, which could serve as a guide to safeguarding topics, policy formation and every day practice. The guide offers guidelines to creating safer spaces for children and youth and it promotes the creation of a culture of safety. The guide emphasises the personalisation of safeguarding and offers thought evoking questions and checklists that teams can use to discuss and improve their safeguarding strategies. The training and workshops taking place with organisations, give the teams space to explore aspects of this guide and to explore together barriers, solutions and unique aspects to safeguarding within their organisations. Together we can share the message that resources are often scarce, human resources often limited but safeguarding must always be prioritised.
When
The ideal training duration is of 4-5 hours. This can be in the format of one session or split into two sessions. However training can be adapted to different time frames. This time frame allows for a workshop style with enriching, interactive, tailored discussion. The Foundation is flexible to adapt to different days and times that are accommodating to the needs of the organisation.
How
The recommended group size is up to 35 people. This group size allows space for discussion and group activity which is very enriching to the training experience. With a group of this size the training can provide a more specific focus on the organisation, with a more detailed reflection on safeguarding.