Overhaul coming for Maxfield Park Children’s Home
Published:Wednesday | July 7, 2021 | 12:11 AMDavid Salmon/Gleaner Writer
Millions of dollars will be pumped into Maxfield Park Children’s Home over the next three to five years to transform the facility into a centre of excellence for childcare, State Minister Robert Morgan has pledged.
Morgan, the junior minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, made the comment on Tuesday after a groundbreaking ceremony for the J$117-million Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Child Therapeutic Centre.
“We will be doing a lot of demolition and building and landscaping, creating facilities and capabilities to assist our children that are a part of the childcare system,” he told The Gleaner on Tuesday.
Morgan reiterated his position that too many children are institutionalised and that the Government was committed to reducing the number of wards in state care. Additionally, the Government will be embarking on consolidating the number of children’s homes and ensuring that there are sufficient staff and facilities to give oversight to the wards.
However, staff limitations continue to plague the sector.
A recent Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) study found that only eight per cent of Jamaican children are having their mental-health needs addressed because of a shortage of medical professionals, including psychiatrists.
PARTNERSHIP
Morgan explained that the aim is to consolidate resources and partner with other entities in providing psychological support.
“That is a conversation that is ongoing ... but the reality is that nationally there is a shortage of mental-health professionals and that is something that, as a Government, we have to look into,” he said.
The state minister revealed that an islandwide audit of children’s homes will be completed by the end of summer with the report ready by the final quarter of the year.
Morgan added that the Cabinet submission of the Child Care and Protection Act is almost completed, with expectations that the bill will be tabled in Parliament by early next year.
However, he cautioned that more time will be needed to prepare amendments to the Adoption Act given that the law will be overhauled. Thus, he does not expect new legislation to be introduced by late 2022-2023.
Thirty million dollars towards the construction of the therapeutic centre will be gifted by the CPFSA, with additional funds provided by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund Basic Needs Trust.
Education Minister Fayval Williams said that the therapeutic centre represented ongoing efforts to provide support for the childcare sector.
She also announced that the ministry would be looking to establish an early-warning system and mounting a parenting campaign in the coming months.
The National Parenting Support Commission will also be merged with the CPFSA in order to facilitate better coordination of support services for children in state care.