Child Care Agency pilots community groups along Linden/ Soesdyke Highway

GINA, GUYANA, Monday, May 15, 2017

The Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) has been working to establish partnerships at the grassroots level to prevent child abuse and promote child well-being.

Director of the CPA, Ann Greene explained to the Government Information Agency (GINA) that community groups have since been established in the Timehri, Yarakabra and Kuru Kuru, communities along the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway.

Greene pointed out that the agency is working in several communities, but the groups are being piloted in the three aforenamed areas before moving on to other communities.

She added that getting the communities in the outlying districts onboard is easier than the communities in far flung hinterland communities. However, the CPA is still working, “to have all communities to buy into the programme” and eventually all will benefit.

It is necessary for the CPA to work with community groups across Guyana to reduce the risk factors for abuse and to increase the protective factors, the CPA Director explained.

She highlighted that risk factors, “are the things that will create vulnerability for children. A single parent home is a risk factor because money and time is always in short supply in a single parent home, especially since the parent has to go out and work and then return to look after the children.”

Other risk factors include parents with mental health issues, substance abuse, poverty, early teenage parenthood and domestic violence.

Meanwhile, the protective factors will help to eradicate the risk factors. Greene pointed out that the protective affordable high quality day care centres, training programmes and rehabilitation for parents, teen empowerment programmes and mental health services will come out from the community support networks.

She said, “That is why we introduced the community watch groups because that is a community support network that will aid in addressing child abuse.

The agency is also collaborating with the Ministry of Public Health, Faith Based organisations and Early Childhood Development Centres to assist families especially those with mental health issues.

 

By: Ranetta La Fleur