Ground Broken For Child Therapeutic Centre At Maxfield Park Children’s Home

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, on Tuesday (July 6), broke ground for the construction of a Child Therapeutic Centre at the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston, at a cost of more than $117 million.

Construction of the centre is being undertaken through funding in the amount of $30 million provided by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) and just over $87 million by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF)-implemented Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF9), which is financed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The undertaking will entail the construction of four consultation rooms, four treatment rooms, one screening area, one waiting area, two guardrooms, one reception area, two bathroom facilities, one officer lounge, driveway/parking area, an administrative area, four counselling rooms, three behavioural therapy rooms, three physical therapy rooms, three courtyards and fencing.

Construction of the therapeutic centre is expected to be completed within six months.

It will provide residential inpatient programmes, a day treatment programme and outpatient counselling and psychotherapy services for children and their families.

More than 4,600 Jamaican children who are in child protection placement (children’s homes, places of safety) and living in family environment (foster care, family reintegration) who need psychosocial or mental health intervention are to benefit from the services of the centre.

In addition, 16,000 children and families who access the services of the CPFSA on an annual basis are also to benefit from these services.

In her address, Minister Williams said the centre is an important development in the provision of psychosocial support for children in State care.

“The promotion of psychological well-being and protecting them from adverse experiences and risk factors that may impact their potential to thrive are, therefore, critical for their psychosocial development during adolescence and for their physical and mental health in adulthood,” she said.

“Within this context, the CPFSA’s objective of providing effective care and treatment and support for the growth and development of children is important in reducing the likelihood of mental health issues among our children. Our hope is that the centre will reduce the number of State wards in juvenile detention and remand centres being brought before the formal justice system for behavioural management issues,” the Minister added.

For her part, Chief Executive Officer, CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey, said the state- of-the art facility, which is the first of its kind in the country, is a response to the mental health needs of children in State care.

“Through robust and combined effort as stakeholders, we have put action to our commitment with this undertaking, which is another step in the right direction in providing quality services for children in need of care and protection,” she said.

“This facility will be a safe space for children, which will provide the opportunity to receive intensive and continual treatment in an atmosphere conducive to their healing and recovery,” the Minister added.

Meanwhile, Managing Director, JSIF, Omar Sweeney, said the project includes a social support component, with 27 social workers employed to the CPFSA trained and certified. This process was completed in December 2020.

“These workers have already begun to assist in diagnosing and providing basic treatment therapy for children with mental and behavioural challenges,” he noted.

Mr. Sweeney pointed out that with social training, design and construction of the building, the overall investment is estimated at $144 million.