Human Services Ministry highlights milestones in childcare assistance initiatives

Through numerous social and childcare assistance programmes, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has improved the lives of many children over the past year.

Speaking at the Ministry’s year-end press conference on Tuesday, Minister Vindhya Persaud listed many key programmes and initiatives under the Ministry.

One such programme is the Early Childhood Development programme which Dr Persaud called a “significant step in the right direction.”

It focuses on children before they begin school (3 years, 9 months). Persons have been trained in this field to work in more than 300 daycare centres across the country.

In addition, the ministry is working towards licensing more children homes. Of the 16 homes in Guyana, eight of them have been registered and will soon receive their licences. The aim of the ministry is to have trained individuals working in these homes.

For 2024, through a programme focused on street children, 72 children have been picked up from the streets and given access to shelter, healthcare, and other amenities. Some 50 of these children benefitted from cognitive behavioural therapy.

The Ministry worked with them and their families to combat their living conditions to ensure an improved quality of life for them and made sure the parents were provided with access to employment.

Dr Persaud further spoke on the first Central Adoption Authority in Guyana, which was established in accordance with the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act of 2021. It paves the way for the resumption of inter-country adoption in keeping with principles of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Children, a move which Dr Persaud called a “significant step for our country.”

Minister Persaud also lauded the partnership and support of agencies such as UNICEF in developing and carrying out these initiatives. She further emphasised the necessity of training all staff under the Ministry and in relevant areas so they are better equipped to deal with existing and emerging social issues.