22 hours ago
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Senior Reporter
Social service organisations are calling for increased funding in the October 12 national budget, warning that inadequate support is leaving children’s homes struggling to meet basic costs and limiting services for vulnerable families.
Leela Ramdeen, director of the Credo Foundation for Justice, is seeking greater investment in the social sector, including support for parents, children with special educational needs, victims of gender-based violence and young people leaving residential care.
Ramdeen, whose foundation is based on Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, also wants the Government to examine whether existing allocations are being used effectively, rather than simply increasing the sums assigned to ministries.
She wants the budget to address poverty and social exclusion and provide more support to parents struggling to meet their responsibilities.
“Legislation alone will not address that,” Ramdeen said, referring to proposed measures targeting parents whose children are considered delinquent.
She said policymakers must examine the circumstances in which children live and learn, including what is happening in their homes and who is supporting their parents.
“We need support for parents in the budget,” she added.
Ramdeen also raised concerns about delays in assessing children with special educational needs, saying these can prevent parents and schools from obtaining the funding needed to support them properly.
She linked inadequate support for vulnerable children to wider concerns about school suspensions and expulsions, warning that young people who become disconnected from school can be vulnerable to gangs.
She wants the budget to take a broader look at the criminal justice system and policing, while also examining how effectively money allocated to government departments and ministries is being used.
Agriculture is another area she wants prioritised. Ramdeen pointed to the country’s heavy food import bill and said more investment was needed to increase domestic food production. She acknowledged the challenges posed by flooding and praedial larceny, but said these problems required strategies, not simply more money.
Ramdeen is also calling for more funding for residential homes for socially displaced children.
She serves on the board of the Creative Foundation for Justice, which operates homes for socially displaced children. Ramdeen said some homes receive significantly more government funding than others, making it difficult for those with smaller allocations to provide the full range of services children need.
She recalled that the foundation previously operated a transition home for young people leaving residential care at 18. The programme helped them find jobs, save part of their wages and prepare for independent living by learning to budget and access mentors.
The programme eventually closed because its funding ran out.
Ramdeen said transition support was critical because many young people leaving residential care had little or no family support to return to.
“All children need is love and opportunities,” she said.
She wants the budget to focus on the “integral human development” of children and believes the Government must listen more closely to organisations providing direct care.
Margaret Weston, acting president of the Mother’s Union of Trinidad and Tobago and chair of the management team at the Mother’s Union Children’s Home in San Fernando, raised similar concerns about funding.
The Anglican-based home, which is marking its 25th anniversary this year, has a capacity of 12 children and currently houses nine. It is licensed by the Government and falls under the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services.
Weston said the home relies heavily on donations, while government funding covers about 40 per cent of its monthly expenditure, including salaries. This leaves the home vulnerable when donations are slow.
She wants the Government to increase its allocation by 40 per cent so the home can cover its basic costs and provide more opportunities for the children.
“If we can get, yes, a 40 per cent increase, we could cover the rest,” Weston said.
She is also seeking concessions on utilities, citing high electricity and WASA bills. One electricity bill reached about $10,000 after accumulating over several months.
Weston believes the Government should provide concessions to homes caring for children on behalf of the Children’s Authority, particularly as they must also meet maintenance and regulatory requirements.
Food is not the San Fernando home’s main concern, as donors provide supplies throughout the year. Maintenance, staffing and basic operating costs are more difficult to cover.
At St Mary’s Children’s Home in Tacarigua, chairman Father Anderson Maxwell also described funding as a recurring problem.
He said the home regularly ran short of money despite submitting requests for additional funding. Extra allocations sometimes arrived towards the end of the financial year, but did not eliminate the shortfall.
The home must cover school expenses, books and other basic needs, while also finding staff to help raise donations.
Maxwell said volunteers help the children with schoolwork and sports. The home has also expanded its agriculture and livestock activities to reduce its food bill and teach children practical skills.
Separately, Mtima Solwazi, founder and general manager of the Oral Tradition ROOTS Foundation, is calling for at least five per cent of national expenditure to be directed strategically towards an Integrated At-Risk Youth and Family Development Framework.
Solwazi wants the framework to operate across existing ministries and state agencies rather than create another bureaucracy. He said the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services and other agencies working with vulnerable families, young people, education, training and employment should be better connected.
His proposal includes early intervention, alternative education and second-chance learning, technical and vocational education and training, family support, employment and entrepreneurship.
Drawing on his work with the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services’ NGO Unit, the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, and the National Training Agency through Touch of TVET outreach, Solwazi said at-risk young people often need several forms of support at the same time.
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