Progressive step by Social Services Ministry

THE EDITOR; Please permit me space in your pages to publish a public apology. Some days ago, Friday May 28, your paper was good enough to publish a letter of mine describing a policy of the Ministry of Social Services Delivery concerning visits home for children in Government children’s homes. My letter stated that a new policy was in place requiring that the Welfare Officer of each home visit each child’s family home and prepare a detailed report which was then to be reviewed by the Ministry before a visit home would be allowed. I expressed the decided view that this was completely unworkable, given the current staffing situation in both the homes and the Ministry, and that it would in effect bar the children from having visits home. I was very upset about the impact that this would have on them.

I have since discovered that my information is incorrect. It is the current policy under the existing law for home visits to be approved by the Minister in the Ministry of Social Services Delivery. However, realising that this policy was not always feasible, the Ministry has taken steps to delegate decisions about home visits to the managers of the individual homes. In other words, the new policy from the Ministry is in fact the opposite of what I understood it to be and completely does away with the system about which I was protesting.

I wish to apologies unreservedly for my unintended misrepresentation of the Ministry’s actions and for any adverse reactions my letter has created. I also wish to publicly congratulate the Ministry for a most humane and progressive step which takes into account the realities of staffing, resources and the children’s lives. Thank you for the good news! Can we please have more staffing and resources for Social Services Delivery so that these people can continue to make a positive impact on our children?

KAREN MOORE, PhD
Champs Fleurs