THE Government is moving to close the disparities between public and private children’s homes, which have for many years been plagued by insufficient funding.

Junior minister for education, youth and information, Floyd Green, made the announcement in the House or Representatives yesterday while making his contribution to the 2015/16 Sectoral Debate. He said there is to be a strategic review of private children’s homes with a view to overhauling the system and relieving some of the financial burdens of these homes.

Green informed that he had already met with the Private Children’s Homes Association on the matter and committed to providing assistance. “In the short term, I have asked the team at the Child Development Agency to explore areas in which we can provide immediate assistance,” he said.

As a first step, the Government will this year provide private children’s homes with funding from the disaster management grant that is usually provided to State-run facilities. Additionally, the payment of medical expenses for wards of the state is to be standardised across the board, whether they are State-run or privately owned.

“Coming from the last audit, there are some infrastructural issues that have been identified in our private homes. We will be sitting with the homes to resolve these,” the state minister added.

He announced, too, that the Government will tomorrow sign a memorandum of understanding with Caribbean Child Development Centre and the United States Agency for International Development for the implementation of a comprehensive transitional living programme for children in State care.

The initiative is geared at improving the living conditions for youth leaving residential care at age 18 and reducing the risk factors associated with their low education or job skills, inadequate life skills, and poor self-image, Green outlined.

“The project will also facilitate the creation of a safe and appropriate transitional living facility for 40 females right here in Kingston who, upon leaving State care, have nowhere to go,” he said, noting that the initial scope of the programme has been extended to also build a transitional home for boys in Southfield, St Elizabeth.

— Alphea Saunders