CIG reviews plans for troubled kids
(CNS): Government continues to wrestle with the best way to deal with at-risk children and is planning to undertake an outline business case on the future of the Children and Youth Services (CAYS) Foundation, which is currently responsible for children the courts have remanded or ordered into its care. Following a strategic assessment of the government-funded foundation, enhancing and improving the current state of affairs or merging CAYS with the Department of Counselling Services have emerged as the preferred options.
Since government abandoned the previous administration’s plans for a youth detention facility, which was to be based on a therapeutic model from Missouri, CAYS has continued to take care of troubled kids at three facilities. The Bonaventure Boys Home, Phoenix House and the Francis Bodden Children’s Home are where most youngster who are in trouble are placed. But Eagle House at HMP Northward is also still housing juvenile offenders, continuing to breach Cayman’s Bill of Rights.
The problem of how to deal with kids who are already in trouble with the law or at great risk of landing in the criminal justice system has climbed up the political agenda over the last six years but successive governments have been short on answers. The latest review came out of recommendations from the Crime Reduction Strategy and Project Future, a full-scale review of the civil service in an effort to cut both the size and cost of government.
The problem, however, is that with the rise in crime among young people, ongoing problems with dysfunctional families, substance abuse and a widening gap between the rich and poor, the issue of dealing with behavioural and child risk issues requires more investment, not less.
However, the strategic assessment has concluded that government should do a detailed outline business case to see if CAYS can remain an autonomous entity while improving efficiency, reducing duplications and rationalising service provision but still meeting the growing needs of at-risk children or whether it should be integrated into the Department of Counselling Services.
The chief officer in the community affairs ministry, which is responsible for CAYS, Dorine Whittaker, said, “Through the Strategic Assessment of the CAYS Foundation, we have taken a critical look at our services. We have also identified potential options to help us strengthen this service in order to provide the best possible care for the children and young people. I am now looking forward to the findings of the outline business case and to overseeing implementation of the recommended solution.”
See the full Strategic Assessment in the CNS Library
Category: Crime, Government Finance, Local News, Politics
Hold the parents accountable for their childrens’ actions from day one! They break, damage stuff, make parents pay, they skip school, haul in both, parent and child to dish out the warning. They skip school frequently, get police involved. By law, children MUST attend school.
But most importantly, hold the men that sire children all over the Island financially responsible for their children by any means you can and if that is currently not possible under the law, then the law needs to be amended. Men who can’t afford to pay proper child support should not be driving a car, flashing a gold watch, going on shopping trips to Miami or having and Ipad, I-phone and flat screen TV! The same goes for the women who have babies and then pretty much abandon them……..
“Hold the parents accountable”. Can you be more specific and answer one question: HOW?
When I went to school there was a leather strap on the principle’s desk. Funny how the promise to use it could settle down most of the unruly. God help you if that did not work and the principle had to speak to your parent. There were very very few “troubled kids”. It’s so wonderful to see how we have become enlightened and moved away from those barbaric times, nowadays our children are liberated and free, Isn’t progress great.
They started labeling them as “troubled” by support staff at schools. what do you expect from them then? They conform to the label.
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support system is anything but positive. the Ministry of Education has no idea what they are trying to do by implementing all kind of flawed and weird systems.
This is rubbish logic. People never conform to negative false labels, they rebel against them, unless the label speaks to them, in which case it is embraced and reinforced as truth.
If you keep labeling a normal, but mischievous child as a “bad”one, eventually he would conform.
Only if those are the only words of influence he/she hears. For the bad kids, the more negative adjectives, the more peer clout, street rep, and power they wield.
Let the expats leave and let the Caymanians sort out their own shit.
End of argument.
Imagine if the CIG didn’t habitually blow tens of millions a year subsidizing the consumption of an endangered species (for votes), or bailing out an airline (that fails to remit passenger landing fees), or shiny new toys…imagine how our funds could be redirected, and perhaps a fraction of that waste available to address our long-ignored social ills including our escalating violent gang-based crime. Just a tiny percentage. Dare to dream Cayman.
ONE WORD
JOBSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Another word – SERVICE!
Make it MANDATORY that every student serve one year (minimum ONE SUMMER) in the Cadet Corps. You choose the year, but you serve at least one entire summer. That will instill discipline and enhance self respect for the participant. In Switzerland and Israel (just to name two) there is MANDATORY military service. You rarely hear much about youth crime and violence there at all. There must be something to it. It also might lead to more potential recruits for the law enforcement recruiting process as well, which is another major problem at present. Is the Fire Service still 100% Caymanian??
If the parents can’t do their job (which obviously they are NOT), then something has to be done in a remedial and preventive way. A little training and discipline goes a long way. I know, as I served in the US Navy myself. Excellent job skills training, never a single car accident and no criminal record – ever, over many decades.
No expensive study to do and then ignore and shred!
This will be the 8th time there has been review since 2000. All other reviews were filled with recommendations that no government to date has implemented. This will be another report from the PPM that will end up in Mount Trashmore.
NOW THAT’s PROGRESSIVE
Prevelant*
Fixed that.
This is not a Government problem, its a parenting problem; too many children having children. This issue needs to be addressed asap as well as the parents being held accountable for their underage children.
At a certain stage it is beyond inadequate parenting (or grand parenting). When society-at-large pays the consequences for unwanted pregnancies it becomes a government issue. It’s also a church lobby issue given their sustained rejection of birth control education and availability. Even the crappiest no name condoms are still sold over the counter in late 2016.
hear hear!
Track them academically starting in 8th grade daily! After school program for homework tied into all sports! During school holiday breaks give students an opportunity to go to school and make up missed days/ class work for credit recovery. Job training programs run at school along with health education, parenting classes, and domestic abuse classes. Just a few ideas off the top.
Agreed. Summer break is too long. Mandatory community service should also be included.
Summer break in Cayman is a full month SHORTER than most other countries, yet the problems with “at risk” youth are the same or slightly higher.
The main issue is the (lack of) proper parenting. Children are left to their own de(vices) far too much and lack proper limits and discipline. Just go to where the school kids hang out after classes and witness for yourself the bad behaviour and foul language that is rampant. Overt and improper sexual (mis)behaviour is on full display. Wake up, parents! You are losing a whole generation due to failed responsibility!
Bad behaviour, foul language, overt and improper sexual misbehaviour on full display – sounds likes Saturday night at Bananas
Agree 12.17pm however, the matter of proper parenting is a pretty big hurdle when young ‘troubled’ kids are having kids themselves and their own behaviour is reprehensible – That’s what they teach their kids – mouthing off to Authority figures, disrespect, misbehaviour etc…. The problem is – how can you even get these parents to teach their kids the correct behaviour when they have behavioural problems themselves.
Another expensive report for the PPM
ppm waffle….