Indigenous Peoples’ Ministry improves hinterland social services

Mar 20, 2019 News

Celebrating the Ministry’s Social Work Department on World Social Work Day –Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs invested a lot of money to improve social services across the Hinterland.
Indigenous Communities, patients of the Georgetown Public Hospital Cooperation and other Public Hospitals continue to benefit from initiatives aimed at improving the social and welfare aspect of living.
Social Work is a profession that has been developed to administer to the very large and complex Human Service System in society.
The Ministry in collaboration with sister Ministries and Agencies has developed a creative and artful approach to effectively working with individuals, families, groups, and communities that are struggling with problems.
To this end, the Ministry is on a Mission to adequately address social and welfare issues in villages and communities by improving access to quality social services, in particular, Health and Welfare for all Indigenous Peoples.
The Ministry’s Health and Welfare Department is headed by Senior Social Worker-Health and Welfare, Ms. Pauline Welch, and is supported by Social Worker, Onika Bishop, and two Welfare Officers– Ms. Juliet Kissoon and Silochanie Singh, a Staff nurse and a Nursing assistant.
The staff has been working with the Indigenous Peoples led by respective village Toshaos to facilitate late Birth Registration for persons who were never registered and those who do not have Birth Certificates and collaborate with the Administration and the Medical Social Work Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital and other Public Hospitals to provide support to indigenous persons seeking medical attention.
The staff also work collaboratively with the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Social Protection and the Ministry of Public Security on Health, Labour, Welfare and Social Service, provide Care and Counseling to persons visiting the Ministry for assistance and the provision of financial Assistance for burial, medical treatment in difficult circumstances.
The Ministry through the Hinterland Scholarship Department also continues to play a critical role in providing support to students residing at the student dormitory with individual and group counselling sessions based on situations that may arise.
Sessions are also carried out with immediate family members of students based on the gravity of the situation.
Social Workers are also teased with attending school meetings, to represent students in order for them to be able to monitor their academic and social progress.
Community outreaches such as regional visits, allows social workers to be able to ‘stand in the students’ shoes’ to understand why some positive or negative behaviours are exhibited.
Positive reinforcements are a part of the daily activity and students are rewarded when necessary.
Senior Social Worker at the Dormitory, Mrs. Rosamond Daly, emphasized that “networking with other organizations is critical to the daily work especially in situations where the social worker is unable to help the students competently.”
These students are therefore referred to agencies that are equipped with efficient staff, such as health care professionals, the Police and Probation Officers.
She added, “In their quest to ensure the students’ welfare, programmes are designed with the students input which will be beneficial to the choices they make and to make them aware of the many ills of society.”
Over the past three and a half years, the Government through the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs has invested in excess of $300 million to ensure the welfare and health of the Indigenous peoples’ are adequately addressed.
International Social Work Month was first observed in March 1963, with the purpose to encourage public support for this profession.
World Social Work Day was observed yesterday under the theme ‘Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships’.

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