Fifty Child Protection Authority (CPA) officers will benefit from a series of psycho-educational training sessions geared at building their capacity to manage assigned cases of children under the organisation’s care.
The Sandals Foundation’s partnership with the Child Protection Authority (CPA), an arm of Grenada’s Ministry of Social and Community Development, Housing and Gender Affairs, will facilitate the capacity-building programme to support best practices.
Adequate staff training is essential to their ability to carry out the mandate of the CPA — “to act in the child’s best interest.” Eight (8) training sessions will take place quarterly with Child Protection Officers, Residential Care Officers, and the Counselling Team, with focus areas in confidentiality, crisis intervention, empathy and compassion, dealing with secondary trauma, and sensory Play Therapy. Play Therapy is an umbrella term encompassing therapeutic methods in counselling using play as a means of helping children communicate their feelings through sensory aids like art supplies, toys and musical equipment.
Lenise Williams-Paul, Managing Director at the CPA said, “Case officers generally provide the “First Line of Support’ to children who have experienced abuse or trauma, and must be adequately trained to minimise further exposure.” She continued, “The CPA is in need of training for its case officers to develop their skills not only in assessing the client’s needs but also determining possible next steps for navigating life-altering events.”
An investment of over EC$20,000 made by the Sandals Foundation, has gone into funding these capacity-building training sessions and providing therapeutic and sensory aids for Play Therapy. Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation Heidi Clarke said the initiative is one the foundation is proud to take on. “The mental and emotional well-being of our children is deeply important. At the Sandals Foundation, we believe in investing in the safety and protection of our children by encouraging activities that are holistic and include their psychosocial health,” Clarke said. “We support the CPA in providing their officers with the tools to aid the cathartic process for these young children through therapeutic interventions and play.”
The Child Protection Authority was established by the Child Protection and Adoption Act in 2010 to provide psychosocial support to children in need. The Child Protection Act gives the CPA the power to address all child protection matters in Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique, including adoption and foster care.
The Sandals Foundation is committed to the development of the children of the Caribbean, with several projects tailored to their mentorship, creative expressions, skills, and psychosocial development.
Sandals Foundation
