7. Children in alternative care “There is neither a mission nor a vision in this place.” – Member of staff at ETCC Maafushi Education and Training Centre for Children The Education and Training Centre for Children (ETCC) run by the Ministry of Education is located on the island of Maafushi, an inhabited island near the capital Male’. There are currently 52 children at the Centre. They have been sent there by parents, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family and the Maldives Police Service, who feel they are not in a position to look after the children themselves. The children are from various different islands across the country, including from the capital island of Male’. None of the children have committed a crime and, as a matter of policy, children with a history of substance abuse are not admitted to the centre. The Centre is supervised by Ahmed Shakeeb, who is a native of the island of Maafushi, and has worked at the centre for over a decade. He was adamant that staff at the Centre has children’s best interests at heart, and do their utmost to provide children with the educational as well as vocational training and other life skills that would enable them to rejoin society as productive members of their communities. There are acute staff shortages at the Centre, however, creating major impediments to the achievement of the centre’s goals and mission. And, although staff attempt to provide an atmosphere of inclusiveness and participation, this is not always possible due to staff shortages. Interviews with members of staff also revealed that staff do listen to the children on a daily basis, and that attempts are made to include children’s views in planning activities and lessons. Children lead the daily Assembly at the start of the day, and staff talk to children about their needs regularly. It is difficult, however, to independently verify the level of children’s participation in the making of decisions that affect their lives at the Centre as there are no formal policies and mechanisms that require and seek such participation. The General Rules for Students held at the Centre, which contains a total of 21 Articles, for instance, contains no requirements that stipulate children’s participation in decision-making processes. The only provision in the Rules that suggest that children have a right to express themselves with regard to their lives at the centre is the final Article (21) which states ‘Children are free to meet with members of staff any time they wish to do so.’ (Article 21.1). The Rules also state that the Centre should make arrangements for children to maintain telephone contact with their families ‘according to policy’. 51