Wards of the State Encouraged to Look Ahead, Not Behind

Students in State care are being encouraged by their peers to use the opportunities presented to rise above stigma and improve their lives.

“I wouldn’t want them to feel less of themselves. I want them to see [State care] as an opportunity because, honestly, I’ve been part of this system for four years and the opportunities I have received, I wish my biological parents had [been able to provide],” said a previous ward of the State, Daniel Christie.

The 19-year-old tells JIS News that after entering State care at age 14 when his father passed away, his personal development, health, emotional and academic needs were improved.

“I had my hernia repair surgery done, my school fees paid, my clothes and food bought; so, I wouldn’t say they should feel [ashamed of being in State care]. Yes, they’ll miss their family; but they should remember where they’re coming from,” he highlights.

“I advise them to meditate and just push hard because, once you do, things are going to happen that you couldn’t imagine,” he further advises.

Children in State care are managed through the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), which falls under the Ministry of Education and Youth.

The Agency also monitors the licensing of over 40 private homes which foster children islandwide.

Against this backdrop, Mr. Christie also encourages citizens to not regard persons in State care in a negative way.

“It’s not good to judge, because not every person who joins the system was part of wrongdoing. Some of them are there because of neglect from their parents… some don’t have any parents at all,” he tells JIS News.

“Some of them just wanted love. I was once abandoned by my mom. She didn’t treat me right, but I didn’t let that hold me down,” he says.

Mr. Christie further discloses that his resilience led him to “push, express myself and let people know what I am about.”

“This is how you will know if someone needs help. Listen and help them because that is the main thing. Without the help or the love, they’ll just be one bunch of spoiled apples,” he emphasises.

While noting that his experience wasn’t the easiest, Mr. Christie shares that during his years as a ward at the Manning’s Boys Home in St. Elizabeth, he gained fatherly guidance from the Child Development Officer assigned to him.

“My dad passed away when I was a child, in a very tragic moment, [and] from there, I started to put myself in some serious detrimental areas that I didn’t expect to be. I started doing some things that are not of God. So, when I came into the system, [my officer] was like a father figure, there to guide and lead me,” he recounts.

“I started [learning] certain things that I didn’t know I could do, like football [and] singing, [which] unearthed my talents and personal abilities like leadership. I never knew I could’ve been a good leader; but it takes time to really know who you are,” he continued.

Mr. Christie is currently part of the CPFSA’s Transitional Living Programme (TLP), which provides further support for wards not yet able to manage independent living.

He is also undergoing training to be part of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

“Being part of the army was my thing. I worked and trained hard for it. I failed a couple times, but I still didn’t give up because I know one day it will come through. I waited on the Lord, and he has blessed me with this opportunity. So now I’ll be going in for training and I am very thankful for it,” he says.

Mr. Christie is hopeful that other youngsters in State care will also recognise that their backgrounds do not determine their futures.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Tanesha Campbell, a TLP beneficiary and a current registered nurse, describes her experience in State care as her “greatest blessing”.

She was placed in the system at age seven because her mother was unable to maintain her six children at the time.

“I eventually graduated from Victor Dixon High School with seven [subjects] and then [attended] Northern Caribbean University, did their nursing programme. I got a scholarship from Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) and graduated,” she informs.

Ms. Campbell discloses that CPFSA provided counselling support during her years as a teenage mother, adding that she received a monthly stipend through the TLP.

During a recent TLP Expo in Kingston, approximately 700 youths in State care were sensitised on opportunities under the programme to adequately prepare them for adult life.

These included entrepreneurship, vocational and technical skills training, housing accommodation for two years, and financial support.

There, 17-year-old *Allison Grant highlighted that she has chosen to remain focussed on her goals, despite being physically challenged.

“I was diagnosed in 2017 with Rheumatoid Arthritis. But in 2019 when I was admitted to the hospital, I was taken off my medication and [when I was released] I just couldn’t walk. After visiting a specialist, I was told I have Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis,” she disclosed.

She is currently seeking to join TLP to further her interest in cosmetology, through its collaboration with the HEART-NSTA Trust.

The TLP continues to enrol students over the age of 18, with a mandate to help them achieve their highest potential.

* Name Changed