• Data: 18/12/2015 Parágrafos: 1Informação disponível em espanhol inglês
• Data: 18/12/2015 Parágrafos: 2Informação disponível em espanhol inglês
• Data: 18/12/2015 Parágrafos: 5MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
The Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development designs and implements programmes and projects that address the following:
The National Assistance Programme
The National Assistance Programme is offered by the Welfare Department. This programme provides assistance to poor and vulnerable citizens who are unable to earn a living to support themselves and their dependents because of illness, injury or other special circumstance. The National Assistance programme has two components:
i. Monetary Assistance/Cash Transfers: This allows poor and vulnerable individuals to meet their daily needs; and
ii. Assistance-in-Kind: This comprises the provision of food vouchers, dentures, spectacles, clothing, hearing aids, prostheses, furniture, the facilitation of burials, the payment of house and land rents and utility bills – water and electricity.
The National Assistance Programme endeavours to provide an opportunity for needy citizens to meet their needs and improve their social condition through the provision of financial assistance and assistance in kind.
Poverty Reduction Empowerment Programme
The Poverty Reduction Empowerment Programme (PREP) provides skills training to clients of the welfare department to facilitate their personal development and give them an opportunity to utilize these marketable skills to elevate themselves from a status of dependency to independence through employment. This programme responds to the realization that it is not enough to simply provide the poor and vulnerable with hand-outs but it is also vital that they are provided with opportunities to develop and expand their capabilities and lift themselves out of poverty. PREP aims to enhance personal and social development; increase knowledge and skills; promote the transfer of learning; promote job retention; and enhance and developing self-efficacy.
Identification – Stabilization – Enablement – Empowerment (I.S.E.E.) Bridge Pilot Project
The Country Assessment of Living Conditions (CALC) is a national study which was conducted in 2010 using quantitative and qualitative research to assess the current conditions affecting the welfare of people living in Barbados. The study indicated that despite a large number of social services offered to reduce poverty many individuals have been unable to break the cycle of poverty and as a result there are large numbers of poor multi-generational households. The I.S.E.E. Bridge project aims to reduce intergenerational poverty, using the household as the focal point of intervention to improve the overall quality of life of poor and vulnerable household members. This programme represents a paradigm shift in the efforts to reduce poverty in Barbados and it moves away from the traditional emphasis of “stabilizing” to that of “empowering” the poor and the vulnerable. The intervention focusses on four critical areas:
i. Identification/Assessment: Where the poor and vulnerable are identified and their needs assessed.
ii. Stabilization: The immediate needs are addressed.
iii. Enablement: Where skills to survive are imparted.
iv. Empowerment: Where individuals are imbued with the capacity to succeed and excel in society.
The overall objective of the project is to Build a Road for Individual Development towards the Goal of Empowerment (BRIDGE).
The programme is built on seven pillars of intervention, namely; i) Personal Identification, Health Promotion, Education and Human Resource Development, Employment, Income/Social Benefits, Housing Conditions and Family Dynamics. Minimum conditions are attached to each pillar which household members are required to meet before graduating from the programme. This process is supported by intense psycho-social support.
MDG 2 – Achieve universal primary education
Since the 1970s, Barbados attained universal access to primary education and this has been maintained. There have been consistently high levels of pupil participation by both sexes which has corresponded with high completion rates and high effective transition rates for pupils from primary education to secondary education.
MDG 3 – Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
The Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) is the national machinery responsible for the integration of gender in all national policies and programmes. The BGA functions to mainstream gender and to ensure the integration of gender and development into all areas of national development plans and policies so that women and men can benefit equally from existing opportunities.
Gender mainstreaming is an integral component of the Bureau’s activities. A number of training and sensitisation programmes are implemented to expand gender awareness and promote social change at the community level which will remove barriers to the attainment of gender equality. Gender sensitivity programmes are also implemented within primary and secondary educational institutions to increase awareness of gender issues among children with a view to promoting harmonious future generations.
A major accomplishment of the Bureau of Gender Affairs is the National Policy on Gender, which will form the framework of the major work of the Bureau over the next five years. The development of the policy is in the final stages and the policy document should be completed by 2015. This policy will act as the guiding framework through which gender perspectives are being brought to the forefront of national planning, legislation, programmes and activities in order to advance development.
MDG 4: Reduce child mortality
Antenatal and child-health services in the polyclinics and the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital were instrumental in improving infant survival rates. Nurses received specialist training in neo-natal care to complement these services.
Perinatal conditions and congenital abnormalities were the leading cause of death among children under 1 year old. Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (less than 1 year) was 10.7 in 2012 while neonatal (0 to 27 days) infant mortality rate was 8.3, and the post-neonatal (28 days to <1 year) infant mortality rate was 2.5.
The health of infants and children is dependent on controlling the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases and Barbados has been successful in meeting international targets in this area. In 2013, Barbados was awarded the Caribbean Public Health Agency shield for excellent surveillance for immunization diseases under the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI). The country continues to maintain zero cases of polio, neonatal tetanus, measles, rubella, yellow fever and congenital rubella syndrome. Over the past two decades immunization coverage has been consistently high, between 90-93%.
New vaccines added to the EPI include Hepatitis B, Haemophilus Influenza, Pneumococcal and Varicella. The most recent of these, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, was included in the immunization programme in January 2014. Initially girls eleven years and over in twenty-three (23) secondary schools were given the vaccine and preparation is now being made for the inoculation of a second cohort of girls.
The programme for the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) started in Barbados in 1995. Prior to its implementation, HIV transmission rates to infants exposed to HIV was 27.1%. However, by 2012, HIV transmission rates were reduced to less than 1%.
PART - 1 -
• Data: 18/12/2015 Parágrafos: 5Informação disponível em espanhol inglês
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 9Social Care
Conscious of the impact of the global recession on the country and the implications this
has for the poor and the vulnerable, the Barbados Government has scaled-up its efforts
to combat poverty in all its dimensions and remains steadfastly committed to
strengthening efforts to reduce social disparities and inequality and to halve extreme
poverty by the year 2015. This has been done essentially to safeguard the level of
progress made as a nation and to maintain the quality of life that Barbadians have been
able to enjoy, especially over the last four decades. To this end, institutional frameworks
are being strengthened and participatory governance is being mainstreamed. Social
protection is receiving special attention with the emphasis being shifted from that of
mere stabilisation to that of the empowerment of the poor and those persons at risk
including Persons with Disabilities and Older Persons. The goal of these strategies is to
promote human prosperity and in the process, ensure sustainable economic growth and
maintain social development.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 4, 8The Social Policy Committee of the Cabinet
The Social Policy Committee of the Cabinet has been established to coordinate the work
of the social sector and fast track decision-maldng. It is therefore charged to consider
social policy issues within the purviews, inter alia, of health, education, housing,
employment and welfare. The membership of the Committee comprises the Ministers
under whose portfolios these issues fall. Policy Papers informing on growing trends in
the social sector, emerging challenges and new initiatives are submitted to this
Committee where they are discussed in detailed. Recommendations concerning the
formulation and implementation of policies and strategies to deal with these matters are
also examined and any adjustments made as necessary.
The Inter-Ministry Task Force to Monitor and Strengthen the Social Safety
Net
This Inter-Ministry Task Force provides a framework for the management of social risks.
It is seen as an integral part of social protection and allows for a fully coordinated
sectoral approach to the provision of social services. Its establishment is aimed at
strengthening the social protection network and minimising duplication and
fragmentation in the social service delivery system. Its specific task is to identify the ongoing
risks posed to the vulnerable so that strategies can be put in place to prevent or
minimize dislocation, displacement and exclusion and improve coping mechanisms.
Membership of the Inter-Ministry Task Force is drawn from among the technical staff of
the relevant Ministries and Departments and is chaired by the Minister of Social Care.
Members of the Social Policy Committee of the Cabinet are also in attendance as
necessary.
To date, members of the Inter-Ministry Task Force have been sharing information
concerning the roles and responsibilities of their agencies; assisting with the formulation
of policy and programmes to deal with issues identified; participating in various
activities etc. An important achievement has been the creation of a data base of the
services offered by agencies serving on the Task Force.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 10The Inter-Ministry Task Force to Monitor and Strengthen the Social Safety
Net
This Inter-Ministry Task Force provides a framework for the management of social risks.
It is seen as an integral part of social protection and allows for a fully coordinated
sectoral approach to the provision of social services. Its establishment is aimed at
strengthening the social protection network and minimising duplication and
fragmentation in the social service delivery system. Its specific task is to identify the ongoing
risks posed to the vulnerable so that strategies can be put in place to prevent or
minimize dislocation, displacement and exclusion and improve coping mechanisms.
Membership of the Inter-Ministry Task Force is drawn from among the technical staff of
the relevant Ministries and Departments and is chaired by the Minister of Social Care.
Members of the Social Policy Committee of the Cabinet are also in attendance as
necessary.
To date, members of the Inter-Ministry Task Force have been sharing information
concerning the roles and responsibilities of their agencies; assisting with the formulation
of policy and programmes to deal with issues identified; participating in various
activities etc. An important achievement has been the creation of a data base of the
services offered by agencies serving on the Task Force.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 4The objective of the Constituency Empowerment Programme is the broadening of the
participatory character of governance in Barbados with the view to ensuring the
equitable development of Barbadian society. It favours a ''bottom-up'' approach to
development and provides the platform on which the social upliftrnent and the
empowerment of all citizens will be pursued. AIl such it is seen as an important aspect of
the Government's overall poverty reduction strategy.
The Constituency Empowerment Programme has been operationalised by the
establishment of thirty (30) Constituency Councils, one in each Constituency. The
membership of each Constituency Council comprises fifteen (15) persons drawn from the
respective constituencies. They represent faith-based organisations and other civil
society organisations as well as individuals who have been nominated by their respective
constituencies. Major political parties are also represented on the Council. These
Councils are expected to partner with their constituents and together find solutions to
local problems. Each Council receives an allocation of $100,000 per annum to finance
their respective programmes.
The Councils are supported administratively by the Department of Constituency
Empowerment. The Officers of this Department are available to give guidance, conduct
training and give financial oversight. The Department also provides the link between the
Councils and the Ministry as well as other agencies with which the Councils need to
interact. The Department also monitors the functioning of the Protocols which have
been established with these Agencies and fast-tracks any referrals. A volunteer
programme is also being developed as part of the Programme to further extend the reach
of the Councils.
Programmes undertal,en by the Councils to date include the conducting of educational
programmes for children and young people; training in the area of entrepreneurial
development; clean-up and beautification campaigns; recreational activities; the clearing
of wells to mitigate flooding especially during the rainy season; and response to
emergency matters. Support to community-based organisations, including sporting
organisations has also been forthcoming.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 4, 8, 9Enhancement of Social Protection Strategies
Poverty in Barbados is considered to be relative rather than extreme as defined by
international development institutions. The country also boasts of having one of the
most comprehensive social safety nets in the Caribbean. However there are pockets of
poverty which appear to be generational that are deemed unacceptable. Breaking this
cycle of poverty has been difficult in that strategies tended to stop at stabilising acute
situations rather than transforming them. Hence many of the persons falling victim to
intergenerational poverty made little effort to emerge from their state of dependency.
Recognising this, Barbados has sought to move away from the concept of dependence on
welfare to that of empowerment. To this end, new interventionist approaches have been
adopted which are supported by the use of information management systems and
technology as well as research. National Assistance rates have also been increased.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 8The ISEE Bridge Programme, which captures the operational framework guiding
interventions in the Personal Social Services Sector, is an initiative aimed at reducing
intergenerational poverty. Its introduction was based on the conclusion that more
attention needs to be placed on the household as a focal point of intervention to improve
the quality of life of the poor and vulnerable within the household if intergenerational
poverty is to be reduced/eliminated.
A Pilot Programme, targeting 30 households will commence in July 2011 in association
with the Organisation of American States. The intervention will include intensive
psycho-social support as well as assistance from other agencies of Government and Civil
Society to address the expressed needs of the identified households. The Programme will
ultimately assist in strengthening the intervention methodologies utilised by the Welfare
Department.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 9Information Management and Research
A barrier to efficient and effective delivery of social services has been the inability to
retrieve existing data to inform policy and enhance the social service delivery system. To
this end, the setting up of a National Social Care Information Management System is
being pursued and a Website activated. A Country Assessment of Living Conditions has
also been conducted.
National Social Care Information Management System (NASCIMS)
Acknowledging that the global environment has evolved as a knowledge-based society,
development policy and strategies are becoming increasingly dependent on the flow of
intelligent up-to-date information. Given the nature, scope of work and potential impact
on national development, the mandate of the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency
Empowerment and Community Development - with six (6) critical departments and a
staff complement of approximately four hundred (400) persons, there was an urgent
need of a technologically advanced, network. The process of setting up this network has
begun. When completed, it will efficiently and effectively share vital information for the
conducting of the work of the Ministry.
The establishment of NASCIMS will allow for service excellence to clients and the
general public. It will also provide for up-to-date information on the status of social
development in Barbados and inform policy-making and development strategies, It is
anticipated that there will be the connectivity of all departments.; the expedition of
information sharing; accurate departmental statistics; the efficient transmission of
information; remote access of files and resources; and the centralization of information
and data on shared servers where it is managed for confidentiality and security.
NASCIMS will also greatly assist with client tracking.
To facilitate this initiative, all Departments under the Ministry are being computerised.
It is hoped that eventually all Agencies will be linked to allow for information sharing,
case conferences, etc.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 10Budget allocations to assistance in-kind have also been increased to meet the demand
coming from persons who may not be on welfare, but who may be at risk in the current
circumstances. At present, assistance in-kind includes the payment of utility bills,
(water and electricity) house and land rent, food vouchers, clothing, educational
assistance (books, uniforms etc.), spectacles, dentures and prostheses.
• Data: 21/06/2011 Parágrafos: 4, 8Poverty Reduction Empowerment Programme
The Poverty Reduction Empowerment Programme represents an improvement of the existing Welfare to Work Programme. It is part of the overall empowerment programme offered in the treatment model to recipients of National Assistance and those persons at risk. Clients are offered skills training opportunities to equip themselves for the world of work. Personal development training is also part of the programme. It is based on the philosophy that persons can earn their way out of poverty.
The scaled-up version of the programme will include job placements and work experience as well as psycho-social support. It will also be an integral part of the ISEE Bridge Programme.