FLAPS FAIL ON FLAP EXTENSION NECESSITATING A PARTIAL FLAP LNDG. EMER WAS DECLARED AND FLT DIVERTED TO A MORE SUITABLE ARPT.

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THE DAY STARTED WITH A PREFLT OF THE LOGBOOK. I NOTICED A PREVIOUS CREW HAD WRITTEN UP A FLAP PROB. THEY HAD BEEN UNABLE TO MOVE THE FLAPS FROM A DEPLOYED POS USING ANY OF THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO THEM. MAINT HAD BEEN PERFORMED; MAINT CTL HAD ISSUED A CDL AND THE AIRPLANE WAS RETURNED TO REVENUE SVC. WE FLEW THIS AIRPLANE FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 THEN ON TO ZZZ2 AND HAD DEPARTED ZZZ2 FOR AN 11 MIN FLT TO ZZZ3. AS WE WERE MAKING OUR APCH INTO ZZZ3; WE NOTICED THAT THE FLAPS WOULD NOT DEPLOY BEYOND 9 DEGS; +/-1 DEG. A MISSED APCH WAS INITIATED AND COORD WITH ATC. AN EMER WAS DECLARED WITH CTR AND WE REQUESTED A HOLDING PATTERN TO SORT OUT OUR PROB. COMPANY DISPATCH WAS CONTACTED AND A JOINT DECISION TO DIVERT TO ZZZ4 WAS MADE AFTER VERIFYING THE LNDG DISTANCE REQUIRED WITHOUT PARTIAL FLAP CONDITION; OUR FUEL STATUS AND CURRENT RATE OF FUEL BURN; AND THE EXISTING AND FORECASTED WX CONDITIONS. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE NOTIFIED; AND AFTER DISCUSSING OUR SIT; THE PAX WERE INFORMED THAT WE WOULD NOT BE LNDG AT ZZZ3 DUE TO A FLAP FAILURE AND WE WOULD CONTINUE ON TO ZZZ4. I DID MY BEST TO KEEP THE PAX UP TO DATE; TO MINIMIZE THEIR SENSE OF ANXIETY AND TO ASSURE THEM OF THEIR SAFETY. THE QRH WAS FOLLOWED. FOLLOWING THE SYMMETRICAL TRAILING EDGE FLAP FAILURE/ALTERNATE FLAPS OP PROC FROM THE QRH DID NOT RESULT IN THE FLAPS EITHER EXTENDING OR RETRACTING. WE FLEW THE ENRTE PORTION AT A REDUCED AIRSPD WITH THE FLAPS REMAINING WHERE THEY HAD STUCK. THE QRH CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED. OUR APCH; TOUCHDOWN; AND BRINGING THE JET TO A COMPLETE STOP WENT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AFTER THE FIRE DEPT; THAT WAS STANDING BY TO ASSIST US; VERIFIED THAT THERE WAS NO EXCESSIVE HEAT EMANATING FROM OUR BRAKES AND WHEEL ASSEMBLIES; WE TAXIED TO THE PARKING SPOT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND THE PAX DISEMBARKED NORMALLY INTO THE TERMINAL. I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT THE UNDERLYING MECHANICAL ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AS THIS APPEARS TO BE A SECOND SIMILAR FAILURE IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. WE NEED TO HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCED MAINT STAFF ON HAND WITH THE TOOLS; TRAINING AND EQUIP THEY NEED TO CORRECTLY DO THEIR JOBS TO TROUBLESHOOT AND REPAIR LINE MAINT ITEMS WHEN THEY ARISE.