Stepping up! - Efforts being made to improve residential, state care of children

The Christmas season and New Year celebrations come hand in hand with recognition of milestones and anticipated plans for the future. The same rings true for the youth and children portfolio of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI).

While the efforts to establish a safe, nurturing and secure environment for our youth and children is seemingly increasingly difficult, there are noteworthy silver linings to be acknowledged and celebrated.

In the area of child protection and family services, efforts are being made through the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) to improve residential and state care of our children through advocacy, training and improved governance arrangements. The most notable improvements for 2018, however, have been the 100 per cent increase in the foster care stipend and the opening of our first Transitional Living Home.

The investment in foster care is one that is critical, as the Government works to not only improve the residential care sector, but also increase the number of foster parents and families across Jamaica. It is in the interest of all Jamaicans that all 'our children' are raised in happy and healthy familial settings. It is good not only for the children's immediate well-being, but also for long-term success as thriving working adults of our economy. The CPFSA is actively working to secure more long- and short-term foster families.

Through the assistance of our international partners USAID, the long talked-about transitional living facility is finally a reality for 40 young females. The facility is a safe space for these girls, who would have normally aged out of state care with nowhere else to go; assisting them with the relevant training and preparation needed to secure further education and jobs. As 2019 rolls around, eyes are on the goal to establish two additional transitional living homes, as well as a new therapeutic centre for children.

The MOEYI, through the Children's Affairs Division and the CPFSA, is actively working to improve the safety and security standards at all our children's homes. The Government Electrical Inspectorate has conducted electrical assessments at all child care facilities and the safety reviews are being completed. While these efforts will never truly rectify the damage of lives and property at Walker's Place of Safety, The Wortley Home and the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre, efforts are being made to ensure proper systems and procedures are in place to reduce the likelihood of unfortunate occurrences.

FOSTERING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

In the area of youth development, the staging of the new and improved Youth Parliament of Jamaica was completed. Facilitated and led by the members of the National Youth Advisory Council, the yearlong engagement saw to it that young parliamentarians conducted research and developed and implemented projects before the sitting, which took place on November 12. This allowed for increased participation and fulsome parliamentarian submissions supported by experience.

Applications for the 2018-2019 Youth Parliament of Jamaica are now being accepted at www.youthjamaica.com.

In an effort to revitalise and revamp our youth clubs, we held elections for a new executive of the National Youth Council of Jamaica, which is the governing body of our youth club movement. A new executive team under the presidency of Jerome Palmer has been elected; this ends a five-year hiatus of elections for the body. To further strengthen the NYCJ and our youth clubs, we have launched our first-ever online portal for youth clubs, www.nycjamaica.org. This provides an online toolkit to assist more youth in starting and establishing youth-led organisations, and a database and locator so you can find clubs in communities across our country.

To support these organisations, the youth division has engaged 46 youth club assistants (YCA) to date, to work alongside the youth empowerment officers in providing direct support to identified youth clubs in each parish. They are receiving core and technical skills training on a certification pathway to be youth development workers. Through their work with each club, YCAs are expected to produce: Initial club assessments outlining competency gap in youth club leadership and admini-stration; capacity building strategies aimed at filling competency gap for each club; a sustainable funding and/or social enterprise strategy for each club; project proposals for implementation of a minimum of two community development projects implemented by each youth club, and post-implementation evaluation reports. Their work, we believe, will further support the success of our youth clubs.

INNOVATION CENTRES OPEN

Finally, to date, two Youth Innovation Centres (YICs) have been opened in Westmoreland and Spanish Town. Both have been set up to facilitate the start-up of viable and sustainable youth enterprises; particularly in ICT and the creative industries. Participatory learning opportunities are targeted at most-at-risk youth populations for enabling adaptive and positive behaviour, maximising protective factors and minimising risk factors. Programmes such as Growing Enterprise through IT (GET-IT) Programme, the SPorts, ARts & 'Kreativity' (SPARK) Programme and the SoundTrack Recording Studio will focus on stimulating youth enterprises and building employability and life skills among the target group. The vision is to increase the number of YIC's across the country.

In an effort to ensure every young person in Jamaica knows their rights and the vision for their tomorrow, one of the MOEYI's main New Year's resolution is to get on the road for the 'Know Your Policy' campaign.

As you consider your own New Year's resolutions, consider joining forces with the youth and children portfolios of the MOEYI to help secure our children's future.

Floyd Green is minister of state in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. Email feedback to editor@gleanerjm.com.