In January the Agency hosted the Study of Children Living/Working on the Streets Consultation Session at Alhambra Inn. The event followed a research commissioned by the CPFSA and funded by Winrock International to better understand the issue of street and working children in Jamaica.
More specifically, the research was aimed at ‘determining the factors which predispose children to be living and working on the streets, and to identify gaps in the provision of care and social protection services that impede an effective response to addressing street children’.
The stakeholder meeting was one of the final processes in completing the study. At the session, preliminary findings were shared with representatives from more than 15 government agencies and NGOs, with dialogue on possible solutions for consideration in developing a framework of action. These discussions will be used to finalise the paper which is being for Cabinet then released to the public.
The issue of children living and working on the streets is of grave concern as the practice is indicative of a lifestyle of significant risk wherein both the safety and healthy development of children are compromised. As a result, the Agency has continuously been monitoring areas where children are known to frequent, and has provided necessary interventions for these children and their families, in collaboration with the police and other stakeholders. We have, however, recognized that to effectively deal with this issue, a multifaceted, multi-agency approach is required.