Youth Minister of State Supports Call by CDA Head

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, is supporting the call by head of  the Child Development Agency (CDA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, for greater corporate involvement in development projects being undertaken by the agency.

Mr.  Green  said the call  is  significant,  as the support  from corporate Jamaica would impact a very important area of  the Jamaican society.

Addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on April 27, the Minister of State said that  regulations are already in place to manage the involvement  of  the private sector, thus preventing anyone from just “popping up” at a facility to be a volunteer.

Mr. Green said  children are the primary focus and they must be protected. He praised the CDA and private home administrators for the work they have done, especially in terms of self regulation.

“We do need more private support, but we’re always protective of how we deal with children and so we always say to them, there is always a balance that must be struck.  It cannot be a free for all when we’re dealing with our children.  That is one thing we will never allow,” the Minister stated.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Gage-Grey, who also addressed the ‘Think Tank’,  said that  CDA facilities are primarily run through voluntarism.

She pointed out that during Child Month (May), they would be launching a campaign to increase the cadre of volunteers to help in the facilities islandwide.

“The idea is to have persons apply and be registered and certified as volunteers, so they can go into children’s homes.  It could be a doctor, a psychologist or a counsellor. We want to develop that kind of support [base] so our children can benefit. We know there’s a strong spirit of voluntarism in Jamaica and we want to capitalize on that,” she said.