THE ‘Family Support Services’ unit is one of seven located at the Childcare and Protection Agency, (CPA), which falls under the Ministry of Social Protection. This unit deals with issues other than child abuse and therefore focuses on helping families in their endeavours to stay together in a suitable family setting: one that enhances the development of the children.Families are recommended to the unit for various ‘child-protection’ reasons but for the most part cases come through the social workers based at the CPA. The types of support that officers in the unit offer can range from the monitoring of children (in care) who are being reintegrated with their families, to assisting another family to find materials to build a washroom so they can have proper sanitation. These are just two examples of how the CPA works alongside families to ensure the best results for children. Children will always need to live in a clean environment with adults who care for them in the best possible way.
To this end officers from the unit have the task of linking families to support networks, (like the ‘Difficult Circumstances Unit at the Ministry of Social Protection) where financial assistance and in some cases materials can be donated to bring about positive change. The unit also organises ‘Parenting skills training’ workshops for parents whose children are in care and for parents who may need to brush up their parenting skills.
Some parents live in circumstances that do not benefit their child’s development, health or sense of well-being. When they are brought to the attention of the CPA, measures are put in place to help the family. In severe cases children may need to be removed but there are occasions when the CPA can work with the family and the children can stay where they belong: at home. However, it is a sad case when parents are in denial and won’t accept that they need help or that they are breaking the law by abusing and/or neglecting their children. This makes fixing the problem twice as difficult. How does ‘Family support services’ deal with these situations? The answer is in the second to last paragraph below.
At the ‘Parenting skills training’ workshops parents learn alternative parenting methods and information is given to help them bring about positive results and change where necessary. The aim is to help families maintain a more adequate lifestyle: a lifestyle where they will not be in breach of the child protection law.
Well, just how do the officers in the unit manage when parents just don’t want to acknowledge that their children are suffering and/or their families’ needs help? One officer told me. ‘We don’t give up, we plead, coax, apologise, beg… tactfully of course, it is important to keep the lines of communication open. Parenting is not an easy job, a lot of it is trial and error but when we work with a family and a parent has an ‘ah ha’ moment… you see the realisation in his/her face: that’s what makes our work even more worthwhile’.
Parenting skills training will be held in various locations this year, if you’d like to attend call the ‘Family support services’ on 227 4082 for details. If you think a child is being abused call the childcare and protection hotline on 227 0797 on write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF SOCIAL PROTECTION