Act XIV of 2026, titled the Protection of Adults in Situations of Vulnerability Act, 2026, is a standalone new act assented to on 24 April 2026. Its stated scope under article 3 is twofold: to provide or arrange assistance for adults in need thereof, and to provide protective intervention for adults in need of protection. The Act primarily targets adults with disability (including older adults) who, due to the specific circumstances of their disability, are unable to care for themselves or protect themselves from harm, abuse, or neglect. It also makes consequential amendments to the Convention on the International Protection of Adults (Ratification) Act, Cap. 633.

Part I (articles 4–6) establishes the Director responsible for the safeguarding of adults in situations of vulnerability, situated within the Directorate for Disability Issues under Cap. 627. The Director is supported by officers with relevant professional knowledge, may delegate functions to those officers, and may request Executive Police assistance under article 4(5). The Director's primary function under article 5 is to investigate alleged harm or risk of harm and take appropriate protective action, always ascertaining the will and preferences of the adult, and filing reports ex officio with the Executive Police where criminal offences may be involved.

Part II (articles 7–8) sets out guiding principles including the adult's right to live as he wishes, the least-restrictive intervention principle, paramount consideration of the adult's will and preferences, and regular review of assistance. Article 8 requires the Director to engage all relevant stakeholders for public awareness on abuse, rights, and the character-check and Register system, in accessible formats.

Part III (articles 9–16) governs reports and investigations. Article 9 creates a mandatory reporting obligation for any person employed in health care, social services, education, law enforcement, counselling, residential services, or any field involving adults in situations of vulnerability. Failure by such mandatory reporters constitutes an offence under article 9(7) punishable by a fine not exceeding €5,000. Making a false report or withholding information maliciously is an offence under article 9(8) punishable by four months to one year imprisonment, a fine not exceeding €5,000, or both. Article 10 requires the Director to act on a report within five working days (shortened in emergencies), with a 30-working-day investigation window extendable by 60 working days for good cause. Article 11 empowers the Director to refer matters to the Joint Committee established by article 12. The Joint Committee is chaired by the Director and includes ex officio members from Aġenzija Sapport, Foundation for Social Welfare Services, Department for Active Ageing and Community Care, Mental Health Services, and the Victim Support Agency. Article 13 requires the Joint Committee to communicate with and interview the adult, following article 5(a) procedures for ascertaining will and preferences, with the adult entitled to support persons, personal assistants, and legal aid. Article 14 grants the Joint Committee broad information-gathering powers, overriding all claims of confidentiality except lawyer-client privilege and the privileged relationship with a health and social care provider. Article 16 requires the Director to develop an Individualised Support Plan in person-centred planning terms.

Parts IV and V (articles 17–24) govern assistance and protective intervention respectively. Assistance under article 17 requires a Joint Committee conclusion of need, an Individualised Support Plan, and adult consent. Article 18 lists permitted forms of assistance including counselling, therapy, residential care, legal counsel, and financial management. Article 19 allows the Director to apply to the Court of Magistrates for a Protective Intervention Order, with judicial assistants assisting the Court for expediency under article 19(2). Article 20 sets out the Court's powers including directing assistance, placing the adult under supervision, ordering relocation, and imposing restrictions on persons who are sources of harm including limiting contact, ordering them to cease residing at the adult's premises, and requiring financial maintenance. Article 22 allows the Director to apply to the Personal Autonomy Safeguards Board for a temporary support person; such an order lasts a maximum of 180 days (renewable) under article 22(3). Article 23 requires at least 15 days' notice before filing for a Protective Intervention Order except in emergencies. Article 24 places the onus on the Director to establish that the adult needs protection, that adequate protection cannot be achieved otherwise, and that the proposed intervention is the least restrictive available.

Part VI (article 26) addresses emergency intervention, allowing the Director, after informing the Permanent Secretary and obtaining an Emergency Intervention Order from the Court of Magistrates, to remove the adult from harm or remove the source of harm with Executive Police assistance. Within 24 hours, the Director must apply for a Protective Intervention Order under article 19.

Part VII (articles 27–30) governs review. A Protective Intervention Order lasts a maximum of 12 months under article 25(1). Reviews must be conducted at least every six months under article 28(1)(e). The adult or his support person may apply at any time to the Court of Magistrates to vary, renew, or revoke an Order under article 29. Appeals against Orders lie to the Court of Appeal (Inferior Jurisdiction) within 30 days under article 25(4), with costs of legal representation covered by the Director if the adult cannot afford them under article 23(3).

Parts IX and X (articles 35–39) address data protection and character checks. Articles 35–37 require full compliance with GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and the Data Protection Act, Cap. 586, with the Director acting as data controller. Article 38 requires any individual providing services aimed at supporting adults in situations of vulnerability, whether as an employee, volunteer, or self-employed person, to produce a conduct certificate showing no recordable convictions across a long list of Criminal Code provisions, the Sex Trafficking (Suppression) Ordinance, the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act, the Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence Act, and the Minor Protection (Alternative Care) Act. Employers who engage workers without such a clearance certificate commit an offence under article 38(3) punishable by three months to four years imprisonment, a fine of €2,500 to €50,000, or both. Self-employed persons who commence work without a certificate also commit an offence under article 38(4) with the same penalties. Existing employees and self-employed persons at the date of commencement of article 38 have nine months to comply. Article 39 establishes the Protection of Adults in Situations of Vulnerability Register maintained by the Registrar, Criminal Courts and Tribunals, recording convictions for the same listed offences. Persons listed in the Register are under a perpetual interdiction from all relevant employment, volunteering, and self-employment under article 39(5). Failure to terminate such engagement after a certificate is cancelled constitutes an offence under article 39(6) punishable by three months to four years imprisonment, a fine of €2,500 to €50,000, or both.

Part XII (article 41) amends the Convention on the International Protection of Adults (Ratification) Act, Cap. 633. Article 41(a) substitutes sub-articles (2) and (3) of article 5 of Cap. 633 to align the Director's cross-border protection functions with this new Act. Article 41(b) amends article 6(2) of Cap. 633 to extend recognition of decisions to those made by a competent authority (not only a court) and adds a new proviso enabling persons legally incapable of suing or being sued to nevertheless participate in proceedings with accessibility measures. Article 41(c) substitutes article 7 of Cap. 633 with a new registration procedure for foreign decisions before the Court of Appeal, with notification to the Director and the person concerned and a 15-day reply period. Article 41(d) substitutes article 8 of Cap. 633 to confer on the Director the same enforcement powers for registered foreign decisions as if those decisions had been made under this Act. Article 41(e) corrects a reference in article 9(2) of Cap. 633 from 'Part' to 'Act'.

Commencement: Article 1(2) provides verbatim that 'This Act shall come into force on such date or dates as the Minister responsible for the rights of persons with disability may by notice in the Gazette establish, and different dates may be so established for different provisions and, or purposes of this Act.' The Act therefore does not commence on publication and may come into force in stages. Practically, the Act affects adults with disability and older adults at risk of abuse or neglect; health, social care, education, and law enforcement professionals who now have mandatory reporting duties; employers and voluntary organisations engaging workers with vulnerable adults; and the Directorate for Disability Issues, which gains extensive investigative, protective, and enforcement powers.

Adult Safeguarding — Protection of Vulnerable Adults, including Those with Disabilities and Older Adults (Act XIV of 2026)