The Agency for Community and Therapeutic Services (ACTS)

Thomas Galea Operations Director for the Agency for Community and Therapeutic Services

The Agency for Community and Therapeutic Services (ACTS) aims to be directly present and accessible to people within their own communities. We currently provide our community services from the localities listed in the picture on the next page.

We have teams of professionals present within each of our main service locations and members of staff also travel out to provide services within the outpost offices present in other localities. The teams are made up of social workers, community mentors and community development workers. Their collective aim is to assist in the development of communities and improve the quality of life of individuals, families, and children.

Other community work responsibilities include supporting local NGOs, and planning community initiatives, such as neighbourhood get-togethers to foster a better sense of togetherness. Our social workers and mentors also engage in individual, family, and group work. Central themes of this qualitative work include support with housing, financial and employment issues. Guiding principles of our community work are provided by the National Strategic policy for poverty reduction and social inclusion (2014-2024).

The other major operational branch of the agency are the therapeutic services. These incorporate the Home-based Therapeutic Services (HBTS) and psychological services.

We start community work through mapping exercises where our community development workers walk through the streets of their allocated towns or neighbourhoods, engage the residents and map out the assets and needs of the place.

HBTS supports the wider FSWS, receiving referrals from frontline services to provide therapeutic and parenting interventions to families in need who would otherwise not have engaged with, or would not have been able to access more traditional, office-based services. The team consists of family therapists, counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers and parenting coaches.

Major stakeholders such as local councils, schools and NGOs are identified, and we eventually facilitate the formation of network meetings where these entities can sit down together to discuss issues and make plans to support their community.

HBTS, offers two distinct yet complementary services. The therapeutic side facilitates the development of new skills and strategies that draw upon intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community resources. This uses evidencebased practices and collaborative approaches to build upon individual strengths and strengthen social capital while taking into consideration the cultural context of the families we serve.

On the other hand, our parenting team provides evidence-based parenting programs and live coaching either to parents individually, or in groups. This helps parents and caregivers enhance their parenting skills and improve family relationships. Both services provide a comprehensive approach to supporting individuals and families in achieving their goals.

The psychological services offer generic psychotherapeutic services and psychological assessments. It is an interdisciplinary team made up of family therapists, counsellors, psychologists, and gestalt psychotherapists. We receive referrals from frontline services within the FSWS and offer therapy or assessments according to need.

Together, these therapeutic services comprise the largest team of therapists available to the Maltese public that is free of charge. All the therapists are qualified and have various areas of expertise.

For more information about our community and/or therapeutic services kindly contact us at the ACTS head office on 2334 5100.