-UNICEF Representative tells Probation, Welfare Officers
The task of a childcare officer is incomplete and his function ineffective if children are not offered protection from childbirth until adulthood, when they are adequately equipped to perform and cope with life. This was the sentiment echoed by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative, Dr Suleiman Braimoh, who was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop for Social Workers, Child Protection, Probation and Welfare Officers.
The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, is intended to facilitate training on the establishment of Children Care Points in various communities across the country.
Assistant Chief Probation and Social Services Officer, Marva Williams, said the ministry is putting systems in place to reach those who appear unreachable.

She applauded the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the protection of women and children for assisting the ministry in fulfilling its mandate.
Dr Braimoh said a childcare worker fails to finish his job when children die at birth, survive birth but die at age five, fail to enter the school system, fail to complete high school or finish school, but lack the required skills to function in life.
“Orphans and vulnerable children are only part of the challenges. There are many children who are not orphans, who cannot be classified as vulnerable, but may still have developmental issues,” the UNICEF Representative asserted.
He stressed that child protection involves many facets, including healthcare, education and basic survival needs which can be achieved through integrated approaches that cut across all service sectors.
“Childcare demands a dedicated corps of professionals who are able not just to deliver care services, but are empowered to coordinate the expansion of an already solid foundation,” Dr Braimoh said.
He urged the officers to dedicate their time and energies to the protection of children, adding that UNICEF will continue to support government’s efforts in making Guyana a safe haven from childcare challenges.
UNICEF’s Director of Child Protection, Doris Roos, said the UN is interested in having children in far flung areas benefit from every service available to those in urban communities.
“We are concerned that children must get into and stay in schools, that they must be immunised. There must be a safe point in every community where children can come and speak up and are not only listened to, but are believed,” Roos said.
She lamented the fact that young boys in today’s society have few role models and caregivers lack the requisite information to refer and deal with abused children.
Roos challenged the officers to abandon their desks and head out into the communities to seek clients who may be prevented from accessing help.
She implored them to maintain a reputation that is respected and to provide adequate care for their own children. (GINA)