What is your name and what is your official designation within the Ministry for Health?
My name is Miriam Agius and I work as a Senior Social Worker

Where do you work and what do your duties entail?
I work at Mt. Carmel Hospital. I practice social work within multi-disciplinary teams specializing in Addiction and Dual-Diagnosis. As a social worker, I formulate comprehensive assessments, help the clients to formulate their care plans and intervene as required to enable them to proceed in their recovery process and have a better quality of life in the community. Through my role as a Mental Welfare Officer, I ensure that the clients’ right are being respected during the assignment of involuntary treatment.

​As a Senior Social Worker, I also participate in managerial matters, support my colleagues and work towards better service delivery to our client group.

How long have you been working with the Public Service?
Since July 2002.

Are there any specific qualifications required for your post?
B.A. (Hons) in Social Work​.

What attracted you to take up your profession and to the health service?
I have always been passionate about working with persons who do not fit into the ‘normal realm’ of our society and I found my niche within the psychiatric sector. I feel proud about the fact that at MCH we offer a holistic service to people who will be going through very difficult periods in their life.

What motivates you most?
The ability to listen to people in distress, help them feel valid and give them hope for a better future.

What about the teamwork between different professions/roles involved in relation to patient care?
Teamwork is an essential part of our work. The team follows a biopsychosocial approach providing a needs – led service. It gives us the opportunities to take shared decisions and to learn from each other’s expertise. Working in a team also makes work more enjoyable and provides a sense of belonging.

Can you give us one challenge and one success story?
One particular challenge is that I work with persons who have very complex needs and unfortunately there are not many options for them in our community. This does not augur well to a good prognosis and they often have recurrent admissions to our hospital.
When an individual with co-morbid psychiatric and substance use problems manages to attain a healthy lifestyle in the community that is one big success. However, there are many other intermittent successes which may easily be unnoticed but which need to be appreciated and acknowledged.

What advice would you give to young students considering taking up this profession?
Social work is a profession which helps us grow as a person and understand life through others’ suffering and resilience. It enables us to empower others and help them to work towards a better quality of life. It also permits us to be agents of social change as we lobby against discriminative practices and in favor of social cohesion. Social work is a versatile, exciting and fulfilling profession.

What are the benefits of working with the public service?
The public service offers secure career opportunities with prospects of advancement. It encourages continuous personal development and supports training initiatives. It also offers family friendly measures which facilitate a better balance between work and family responsibilities.