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The Early Stimulation Programme (ESP) has been improving its operations, through a Technical Co-operation Project, to better assist children with special needs. The six-month initiative, which began in September 2012, and currently funded bythe Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), seeks to provide training for child development officersin five areas of child development - self help skills, cognitive, social, emotional, and language...

Job Walters, father of current World Boxing Association (WBA) Featherweight Champion, Nicholas Walters, has called on fathers to guide and nurture the development of their children. Mr. Walters said he had stood by his son through hard times and helped him to become a world champion. “Fathers, stand up strong for your kids. I am a dad here, feeling proud,...

Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna, says the audit of the Maxfield Park Children’s Home, which commenced last year, has already resulted in improvements in financial operations at the facility. “There have been some financial systems that have been put in place, not only in terms of purchases but also in terms of how money is spent. There...

The Government will be working, as fast as possible, to address some of the priority areas of concern at the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston. This was disclosed by Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna, on Wednesday (January 16), following a tour of the facility located on Maxfield Avenue. “Some of the priority areas [have to do...

About 3,005 children in need of care and protection were placed with families under the Living in Family Environment (LIFE) programmes between January and September 2012. Chief Executive Officer of the Child Development Agency (CDA), Carla Francis Edie, said the number is 57. 5 per cent of the 5,226 children in state care and represents an increase over the 53...

The Ananda Alert programme is now officially under the purview of the Ministry of Youth and Culture. This was disclosed by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, as he responded to questions posed by Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie on Tuesday (Jan. 15), in the House of Representatives. He informed the Lower House...

Youth and Culture Minister, the Hon. Lisa Hanna, says the Government is committed to tackling the problem of high youth unemployment in Jamaica. She said the estimate of a 32.2 per cent youth unemployment rate at July 2012, is unacceptably high, even when one considers that there has been a slight improvement coming from 34 per cent in April of...

Ground is to be broken for a children’s hospital in western Jamaica, during fiscal year 2013/14. Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, made the announcement on Tuesday (January 15) adding that plans are already underway for the establishment of the institution, which will be located on the grounds of the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James. “It is going...

The Ministry of Youth and Culture has commenced an audit of the children’s homes and places of safety so as to identify the needs of these institutions. This was disclosed by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, following a visit to the juvenile sections of the Fort Augusta Correctional Centre in St. Catherine and the Horizon Remand Centre in Kingston on...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Child Development Agency (CDA), Carla Francis Edie, is appealing to parents and guardians to visit their children in child care institutions. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, held Tuesday (January 15) at the agency’s head office in Kingston, Mrs. Edie said that parents must use every opportunity to visit, even if...

As at September, 2012, some 57.5 per cent of children in State care were in Living in Family Environment (LIFE) Programmes, which are alternatives to placing children in child care facilities. CEO of the Child Development Agency, Carla Francis Edie, said the agency is on an intense drive to increase the number of children in LIFE programmes this year. LIFE...

The school feeding initiative under the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) will be implemented in institutions in sections of St. Andrew this month. The initiative, being executed by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), seeks to complement the National School Feeding Programme by providing healthy juices and snacks for children utilising locally grown fruits and vegetables. Speaking to JIS News,...