Blackett addresses welfare, Child Care Board concerns

Issuing an apology for “ill-treatment” members of the public may have encountered at the Welfare Department, Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development Steve Blackett assured that the staff was “doing its best under the circumstances”.

Outlining that some 4 000 persons were registered for welfare assistance, he pointed out that his ministry was doing its best to respond to the needs of these individuals, which has led to an increase in its expenditure.

In fact, he highlighted that food vouchers provided by the department have moved from $80 to $150 per month, leading to monthly bill of $653 000 and in addition to this was the payment of rents, water, electricity and educational grants.

Giving a report as to what has been happening at the 12 agencies under his watch during his tenure, he also spoke on the work being done at the Child Care Board (CCB), which had been thrown under the spotlight last year after the deaths of several children in various circumstances.

Insisting that children’s protection and welfare have to be paramount, in the wake of these events Blackett said that instruction has been given to the board, that “has been bearing some fruit, and at the end of the course of action will have a far better institution than it is”.

“I want to give my support to the management and the staff of the board to continue improving the systems, processes and procedures of the board and as far as financially and humanly possible, I will ensure that my ministry has the requisite finances to get the job done for our precious little ones,” he stressed.
He told those Democratic Labour Party members gathered at Queen’s College yesterday for its mid-year conference that there had been a strategic repositioning of the board, including the restructuring of its directorship with individuals who have specialised skill sets.

“A Barbados that is asking and expecting more of that state agency in terms of acting swiftly and effectively in arresting any signs of maltreatment of this country’s children and prescribing the corrective action in a timely manner,” he added.

In addition, Blackett said that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with the police to guide collaboration between the two agencies to ensure effective responses to children believed to be suffering abuse and the a comprehensive review of the CCB’s information management systems that was “woefully in need of upgrades to lighten loads of officers”. (JMB)