Human Services Ministry building stronger families, through parenting skills programme
With the focus on building stronger and stable families, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has launched a parenting skills programme to assist parents to have a little more stability.
Minister, Dr. Vindhya Persaud made the disclosure on the sidelines of the distribution of the $25,000 one-off cash grant for pensioners at the Campbellville Secondary School, on Monday.
“… Covid-19 has brought so many challenges and we know sometimes the pressure that gets to people so we are intervening in this very practical way to equip them with skills,” Dr. Persaud noted.
The Ministry liaised with the National Commission on the Family to launch the training programme, targeting trainers from across the country to work along with parents in communities.
The training is done through the Internationally Accredited Mothers Union, facilitating its first batch of 20 trainees at the Palms Geriatric Home on Brickdam, Georgetown. The programme will span a period of three weeks, on weekends.
Every trainee in the programme will benefit from a manual containing the details of the training. They will learn how to communicate with families, help families deal with issues, parent at different ages, identify issues such as depression and suicide, and identify key signs of child abuse.
At the end of the training, participants are expected to meet the ministry’s objective of making parents more aware of issues involving their children and how to address and resolve them.
The Human Services Ministry intends to continue the programme until there are enough trainers to service the country. Persons are selected through the Support and Heal Network, a faith-based network under the ministry and at the community level.
The training, at its commencement will remain small in its number as a safety measure due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Persons with an interest for the field and are willing to commit to the training period are urged to join.