Lawyers for children are a good step, but these lawyers are not getting enough training on trauma, its effects and other knowledge related to abuse.

There is good evidence behind the concern that lawyers for children need better training, and the Government's own reform documents say so. What the evidence does not show is a specific gap in training on trauma and abuse: Children's Advocates already receive some training, and the documented shortcomings are mostly about how they communicate with and interview children.

The law requires training, but not on trauma

A Children's Advocate is a lawyer appointed by the court to represent a child's interests in legal proceedings. Under the Minor Protection (Alternative Care) Act, Cap. 602, the Advocate gives the child legal assistance and advice and communicates the child's views to the court. The Act says Children's Advocates should receive relevant training, as set by regulations made by the Minister, but it does not specify training on childhood trauma, abuse or their psychological effects. The one exception is for unaccompanied migrant children, where advocates must be trained in the challenges faced by migrant children and those seeking international protection.

The Government itself proposed more specialised training

The Government's Family Court reform proposals of September 2024 called for specialised training for Children's Advocates, so that they could provide "a more professional service", and for their pay to be revised to reflect the role. They also recommended training for advocates and mediators to recognise and deal with parental alienation without making it worse, and continuous professional training for everyone working in the Family Court system. This does not prove that existing training is inadequate, but it shows the Government saw room for improvement.

Stakeholders pointed to communication, not trauma

The same document summarised feedback from people involved in the Family Court system. Participants called for more regular training for Children's Advocates and mediators, especially to improve their understanding of children's rights, their sensitivity to difficult family situations and their ability to communicate with and interview children. Some complained that lawyers sometimes met a child only once before reporting to the court. Others suggested that advocates consult more widely with children, relatives and carers, or work alongside psychologists and social workers.

Wider gaps in training on abuse have been documented

In its November 2020 report on Malta, GREVIO, the Council of Europe's expert body on violence against women and domestic violence, found that initial training on domestic violence was limited across the relevant professions, that training on other forms of violence against women was absent, and that further training was mostly voluntary and irregular. It also raised concerns that many people supervising contact between children and perpetrators of violence lacked appropriate training. GREVIO's September 2026 report acknowledged considerable improvements in professional training but still raised concerns about how family courts handle custody and access.

Malta's Children's Policy Framework 2024 to 2030 plans targeted training for professionals working with children, covering childhood trauma, challenging behaviour and parental alienation. A 2026 European guide for lawyers working with child victims identified a wider need for practical training on how trauma affects children. Together these support the case for more specialised training, but they do not show how much trauma-related training Maltese Children's Advocates currently receive.

Training exists, and the role is changing

Children's Advocates do receive training. In 2023 the Court Services Agency referred publicly to the training given when the number of advocates was increased to ten, and advocates are chosen from lawyers with relevant training and experience. The question is whether that preparation is enough, not whether it exists.

The role is also changing. The 2026 Family Court Proceedings Regulations widened the Children's Advocate's duties and moved the office to the Legal Aid Agency, although some of the new provisions, including appointment during mediation as guardian ad litem, are not yet in force. We found no published information on whether the specialised training proposed in 2024 has since been introduced.

Evaluation

What was said is largely supported. Government documents and independent reports both point to a need for better training among professionals who work with vulnerable children, and the Government's 2024 consultation proposed specialised training for Children's Advocates. Similar concerns had already been raised by a parliamentary committee in 2010.

Two things stop it short of True. The shortcomings documented in Malta concern mainly communication, interviewing, sensitivity and parental alienation, with less direct evidence of inadequate training on trauma and abuse. And these lawyers already receive training, so the issue is whether it is enough. The improvements now under way are too recent to judge.