Coudray: Aggressive Action against Child Abuse

By Verdel Bishop
Trinidad Express
August 7, 2013

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Coudray-Aggressive-action-against-child-abuse-218777831.html

Gender, Youth and Child Development Minister Marlene Coudray has signalled a warning to perpetrators of abuse of children in various homes and institutions.

Coudray, who was speaking yesterday at the official opening of four new buildings at the St Mary’s Children’s’ Home (SMCH) in Tacarigua, said there are numerous reports to her Ministry about abuse in children’s homes across the country.

“We are getting reports very regularly on abuse to children. I want to assure you that the Ministry is taking very seriously all these reports of abuse to children at homes and institutions. I want to make it quite clear that anyone who takes charge of the care of children and abuses their rights will feel the full weight of the justice system,” said Coudray.

“The abuse of children of any form will be met with aggressive action from this Ministry. Abuse of children must stop.”

Coudray said mechanisms are being put in place to deal with the issue of abuse in children’s homes and one option is the installation of cameras.

“The Ministry is actively working on reports of abuse. I want everyone to be vigilant, including caregivers.”

Some $3.3 million was spent on the SMCH upgrade. The four prefabricated structures will house 60 of the 75 children who reside at the home.

“We are finalising a plan which will see children’s homes across the country vastly improved,” Coudray said.

She noted that SMCH, while still not ideal, serves as a model children’s home upon which the Ministry is trying to base such facilities across the country.

The Minister revealed that $34 million was allocated to be spent on homes and institutions, but four of them were getting 90 per cent of that allocation.

“Four of the 51 institutions in Trinidad and Tobago were benefitting to the tune of 90 per cent of the allocations. Even more alarming was the official record showing that there were approximately 906 children residing in care homes, but 250 of those children are in the four homes that are getting 90 per cent of the allocation; so if we do the math we will see how many children are in these individual homes,” said Coudray.

“What we saw is that the Government was spending between $70,000 and $157,000 per year per child in an institution and the question was what about the other 47 homes. And we did a sample on about three and we found what was being given to children in homes was less than $1,000 per year per child, so we have started to work on addressing that...we have upgraded the amount to three homes so far.

“We need to understand that when we spend this money, the allocations will positively impact our children and we have to devise methods of measurement and evaluation to ensure the money is well spent,” she added.

Coudray said through the Children’s Community Residences, Foster Homes and Nurseries Act 2000, the Children’s Authority conducted an analysis of children’s homes based on new standards to which they must adhere.

“We are processing where assistance will be needed to meet these new standards, moving as fast as we can to have these new standards fully operational, even providing funding for those who so need the funding to upgrade their standards. The Government is not prepared to tolerate any excuses for falling short in caring for children and we are ensuring that all potential short falls are addressed.

“We have been finding out at the Ministry that we really cannot rely on a public service working between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide the kind of continuous care we need for our children, particularly those of our children who are in homes and institutions, so our approach is to partner and we have started to partner with these organisations to ensure that the policy objectives are met as far and as wide as possible,” she added.

SMCH manager Patricia Martin-Ward said the four new units at St Mary’s Home mark a transition from orphanage-type buildings and infrastructure to a more modern family-type model of community care.

“This is in keeping with the international standards and in keeping with the Government’s move to take better care of vulnerable children in Trinidad and Tobago,” Martin-Ward said.