Education Ministry Underscores the Significance of Child Month

The Ministry of Education and Youth is actively promoting the significance of Child Month 2024, which starts on May 1, as a pivotal period to raise awareness and advocate for the rights and protection of children across Jamaica.

State Minister, Hon. Marsha Smith, noted that with this year’s theme being ‘Stand Up. Speak Out. Protect the Rights of the Children’, it is imperative that the nation’s focus and attention be on child protection for the duration of the observance.

“What we are hoping to come out of that month is that the regular person will see themselves as a stakeholder to protect each child in the nation,” she said.

The State Minister was addressing the opening ceremony for the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Sixth Annual Field Services Conference at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and Spa in St. James on Monday (April 29).

Ms. Smith underscored the need for the CPFSA to be prepared to engage with all individuals recognising their role in child protection.

The entity, which falls under the Ministry, is charged with promoting child-friendly policies and groundbreaking programmes to strengthen families.

“So, I see this conference as being very timely and a period where we, as soldiers, are preparing for battle [and have] an opportunity to strategise, to create better plans and to fortify anything within our defence lines that has been broken down,” Ms. Smith stated.

She expressed the hope that field service officers and other participants attending the conference will be imbued with a strong sense of readiness to protect children and families, both on a personal level and within the systems they operate.

For her part, CPFSA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Laurette Adams-Thomas, praised the field service officers for their dedication, highlighting the impact of their efforts on the welfare of Jamaica’s children.

She described the conference as an opportunity for informational exchange, empowerment, and capacity building and updates on best practices and operational procedures in fulfilling the organisation’s mission of protecting and nurturing vulnerable children.

“Let us approach each encounter [with children] with empathy and compassion in accordance, of course, [with] the prescribed guidelines and a steadfast commitment to making a positive difference,” Mrs. Adams-Thomas indicated.

“So, as we embark on this journey of growth, learning and collaboration, let us remember the profound impact of our collective efforts. Together, we have the [power] to build bridges, strengthen communities, and create a brighter future for Jamaica’s children,” she added.

Chair of the CPFSA’s Advisory Board, Naomi Francis, emphasised the need to focus on improvements within the organisation, during the conference.

She encouraged the participants to approach the discourses with a mindset geared towards reorganising and re-engineering their work to better serve children.

“Maybe you want to look at Caring for C, Protected for P, Fortifying for F, Serving for S and Advocating for A,” she pointed out.

The annual conference is being held from April 29 to May 2 under the theme ‘Executing the Mission with 20/20 Vision’.

The event aims to further enhance the capacity of the Agency’s cadre of field officers, who respond to the needs of children in need of care and protection in the protective and wider society.

Approximately 200 social workers from across the island are expected to participate in various interactive sessions in an effort to sharpen their social-work skills.