CPFSA Intensifies its Community Intervention Programme
By: December 14, 2017 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- Areas covered during the sessions include conflict resolution – how to solve conflicts with our children and with each other; best practices in parenting; alternatives to corporal punishment; human trafficking – how to protect our children from this scourge; and how to detect telltale signs that all is not well with your child.
- “The participants welcomed this kind of intervention, and engaged us in the conversation. Although they were resistant to our alternatives to corporal punishment, they were happy that we came, and that we had the discussion with them instead of beating down on them. There was dialogue, so this made a difference,” Mr. Williams stated.
The Full Story
Some 140 residents of Bath, St. Thomas, have benefited from a community intervention workshop hosted by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) held recently at the Bath Anglican Church in the parish.
The workshop was held as part of the agency’s Parent Month activities in November.
Areas covered during the sessions include conflict resolution – how to solve conflicts with our children and with each other; best practices in parenting; alternatives to corporal punishment; human trafficking – how to protect our children from this scourge; and how to detect telltale signs that all is not well with your child.
Speaking with JIS News, Director of the South East Region of the CPFSA, Robert Williams, said there is a need for dialogue with the community, so as to assist them with child-protection issues.
“The participants welcomed this kind of intervention, and engaged us in the conversation. Although they were resistant to our alternatives to corporal punishment, they were happy that we came, and that we had the discussion with them instead of beating down on them. There was dialogue, so this made a difference,” Mr. Williams stated.
Representatives from the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC), the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), along with other government agencies, were also on hand to interact with the residents.
Meanwhile, a community intervention initiative in the form of a walk-through was also held in the fishing village of Alligator Pond in Manchester in November.
Representatives from the Community and Safety Branch of the JCF, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the CPFSA participated in this event.
Acting Regional Director of the CPFSA Southern Region, Francine Rhoomes, told JIS News that the walk-through is a response to reports that children living in the community were not attending school, because the parents do not see the importance of sending them.
“This community intervention was to sensitise the parents about the importance of education. We have to change the culture and let the parents know how important it is to carry out their mandate as parents,” she said. Mrs. Rhoomes stated that the residents welcomed the walk-through and plans are in place to have a series of follow-up interventions.