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Social Sector gets one third of 2014 budget
Guyana’s social sector was allocated one third of this year’s $220B National Budget. Emphasis has been placed on social programmes for the vulnerable and at risk populations, youths, the elderly, women and children.
Jennifer Webster, Human Services Minister
This is according to Jennifer Webster, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, during her recent Budget debate presentation in the National Assembly.
“Through a menu of targeted interventions, the ordinary Guyanese man or woman will benefit…This PPP/C Government has demonstrated over the past years, through our policies and programmes, continued commitment to better the lives of all Guyanese,” she said.
According to Webster, this year the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security will continue to focus on the provision of human services through prevention, as well as remedial work and other targeted interventions for vulnerable groups.
She reflected that in 2013, the Child Care and Protection Agency worked diligently and prevented 2,432 children from being separated from their families, while 519 children were removed from abusive situations.
As such, Government has seen the need to support the placement of children within the family settings, with placement in institutional care as a preferred option. Therefore, Government will continue to provide care options for children; training and support for parents to prevent the unnecessary separation of children through parenting initiatives; conduct effective monitoring of children placed in home care; and undertake mental health and therapeutic services for affected children and their families, to name a few initiatives.
Webster said it is important to recognize that no single agency or organization working in isolation can address these demands successfully without inter-agency collaboration between Government and its partners.
“Vulnerable children and their families do require a number of services…The pooling of resources, skills and coordination of care services must be seen in a positive manner for the purpose of inter-dependent problem-solving which focuses on improving services to children and their families,” she said.
She assured that the Child Care and Protection Agency will work to ensure increased collaboration with other key Governmental and Non-Governmental agencies. To this end, the sum of $382.5M was budgeted for the delivery of effective Child Care and Protection Services.
The Minister noted that it is Government’s intention to promote foster care as an alternative care option. Training would be conducted in all 10 Administrative Regions for approximately 2,000 parents.
Meanwhile, greater emphasis will be placed on monitoring the 19 privately managed children’s homes in Guyana to ensure operations are in accordance with the minimum operational standards and guidelines in place.
“Mr. Speaker, towards the end of 2013, three juveniles from a children’s home in Region Six were charged for wandering. There was a lot of criticism in the press about the maltreatment of these three girls. As Minister of Human Services and Social Security, I appointed a team of competent persons to undertake an inquiry into this incident. The Committee has since submitted its findings along with its recommendations with a comprehensive report,” she said.
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