A chance for wards of State to excel - Transitional Living Programme assists in education and entrepreneurship

Patrick Burke, a third-year actuarial science student at The University of the West Indies, Mona, has just one thing to worry about – keeping his grades up.

The 21-year-old has been given assistance by Transitional Living Programme for Children in State Care (TLP-CSC), operated by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).

After entering the system when he was four years old, Burke spent five years at the Strathmore Gardens Children’s Home and the other 12 years at the Sunbeam Boys’ Home.

He said that when the time came to pursue his higher education, worry had him “all over the place”.

“I was worried and sometimes I was even discouraged, because I was not sure where the money was coming from because I was not having any communication regarding where money was coming from for the tertiary level,” he shared after ending sixth form at Central High School.

The TLP-CSC programme engages the 16- to 25- year-olds, assisting them in their tertiary education, vocation training or entrepreneurship.

NURTURED DEVELOPMENT

Burke said that mentorship, independence and life training seminars have nurtured his development; he attributes the confidence that he has acquired to his mentor, who is a lawyer. Burke said he was encouraged by Audrey Budhi, director of children and family programmes and services for the Child Protection and Family Services Agency to speak to younger children in state care on various occasions. This, he said, was paramount for his growth, as he overcame his family challenges.

Budhi and her team also play an integral role in screening, training and pairing the mentors and mentees.

Though their six-year partnership with the USAID ends this month, Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey, said that they will be continuing with a sustainability plan. Some US$5.3 million was contributed to the programme. The last of three 16-seaters and some 1,500 tablet computers, were handed over at the UWI Regional Headquarters. The UWI Open Campus is the third sponsor of this programme. The funds also provided a mobile mental health unit, along with the funding of tuition and the new addition of the first male only living accommodation for those in transition. This new accommodation is sustained alongside two other all-female and one co-ed. Gage-Grey particularly highlighted the trauma-informed care training that was provided to the officers.

“That has been very effective in how we are responding to the children that we have in our care,” she said, lauding the initiative.

Partnerships with HEART/NSTA Trust for vocational training and those with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to pay for tuition.