Fathers must be part of children’s upbringing – Social Protection Ministry

Sep 26, 2015 News

…threatens legal action against defaulters
With the thrust of Child Protection Week this year being on strengthening families, the Ministry of Social Protection has emphasised that every father must play his part in nurturing his children since his contribution is a vital aspect of their development.
In her Child Protection Week statement, Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, said that her

Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence

Ministry will go as far as pursuing legal avenues, to ensure that fathers contribute financially to their children’s needs and spend quality time with them.
According to Lawrence, the operationalisation of the Family Court is high on the Ministry’s agenda for this reason.
Government, in collaboration with its partners, will mount an aggressive campaign to educate families about their roles and responsibilities. They will also be educated about ways in which they can access support to provide a safe environment for their children, said Lawrence.
“We also encourage a return to the cultural and moral values of yesteryear which will undoubtedly serve to strengthen the family,” intimated Lawrence. She said the family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of the child as well as ensuring permanency, safety and well-being.
At present there are more than 800 children in institutional care. This number would include those in state care as well as private homes.
According to the Social Protection Minister, statistics show that persons raised in dysfunctional families frequently report difficulties in their adult life. With specialized support, however, she said families are capable of providing the necessary care resulting in those very children leading healthy, productive lives in society.
“The current situation is unacceptable and Government is committed to creating a change by ensuring a conducive environment for children to enjoy familial life. Hence, high on the Child Care and Protection Agency’s Agenda over the next year, will be the crafting of a national policy for children in need of alternative care,” she said.
“Once again we are observing Child Protection Week which serves as a stark reminder that much more needs to be done to make the world a safer and better place for children.”
This year, she said the Ministry of Social Protection, through the Child Care and Protection Agency, is seeking to place on the front burner the urgent need for reuniting children across the country, especially those in orphanages and state institutions with their families or providing alternative families for them.
Priority areas were highlighted as providing increased support for vulnerable families to prevent separation of children, child maltreatment, abuse and neglect. According to the Minister, this is premised on the principle that child protection is a shared responsibility among individuals, families, government, religious organisations and society as a whole.
To this end, the Childcare and Protection Agency will step up its inter-agency and professional collaboration with various stakeholders, especially local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organisations (FBOs) to expand the social network support for the families at the community level.
Efforts will also be made to boost parents’ capacity to provide adequate care and protection for their children, particularly in providing training for the enhancement of parenting skills, said the Social Protection Minister.
The Minister said it recognises that the parenting abilities of many single parents, particularly mothers, are constrained by economic and social burdens.
“It is not fair for children to be burdened with such situations. Therefore, the Ministry will work closely with parents to address poverty and alleviate many of their hardships. We believe that this will allow them more time to spend with their children and ease their tensions and tendency towards child abuse,” said Lawrence.
To further the support of families, the CPA has begun preparatory work for the registration and licensing of daycare facilities.
“As soon as the regulations for the Childcare and Development Services Act are passed in the National Assembly, the registration and licensing programme will commence. This will create a safer environment at care centers for children and will provide quality teaching for zero to four-year-old children while their parents are at work,” said Lawrence.
The Minister encouraged all to partner with the Ministry in restoring and strengthening families, which is expected to make stronger communities.
To meet this need, she disclosed that the Ministry of Social Protection and its partners are committed to strengthening and supporting families.
“Let’s create windows of opportunity for our children and empower them. Let us focus our energies on strengthening the family unit. Stronger families mean a stronger Guyana, said Lawrence.