Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in Malta : an educational perspective

Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in schools have become a cause for concern amongst the various stakeholders involved, with indications of increasing frequency in the past decades. This paper examines the issue from a local perspective, critically evaluating the current educational provisions for students with SEBD. The first section discusses the nature, frequency and causes of SEBD, with a particular focus on the institutional factors contributing to such difficulties. This is followed by an examination of the local educational provisions currently available for children and young persons with SEBD, either in mainstream schools or in special settings, and either school or agency based. A multi level intervention framework is proposed to address the needs identified in the evaluation of the current provisions and to prevent SEBD from reaching the frequency and severity seen in some other referent countries.peer-reviewe