Gov’t to build mental health centre at Maxfield Park Children’s Home
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Government has earmarked lands located at the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston for the construction of a therapy centre for wards of the State affected by mental health issues.
The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has already drafted a preliminary design for the facility and it is expected that construction will begin sometime next year.
Funding for the project is expected to be provided by the Government through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with additional funding support being sought from stakeholder groups.
State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green, said the facility is necessary, “to give direct psychiatric intervention” and “provide long-term intervention” for wards.
“In our assessments, we are finding that the children need more dedicated support, and oftentimes, the Child Guidance Clinics are overburdened with the amount of children they have to see, especially those with severe mental health issues,” he noted.
He said that the therapy centre will be different from the clinics, as it will provide more “strategic and long-term attention” to children in need of mental health support.
Green was speaking at the official opening of the newly constructed independent living complex for 40 females at 24 Lady Musgrave Road in St Andrew today.
Completed at a cost of $135 million, the complex will provide housing accommodation for females, aged 18-21, who have exited State care and have no other living options, over a period of two years.
Two other facilities are expected to be completed – one in Mona by November to house 12 girls, and the other for boys in St Elizabeth next year.
These facilities form part of a multi-agency project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) over a period of six years at a cost of US$5.2 million.
In her remarks, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, said the fully furnished and luxurious state-of-the art facility will assist the former wards in their development towards adulthood.
“The CPFSA continues to provide an atmosphere of transformation for our children by allowing them to reach their highest potential in a safe, nurturing environment,” she said.
“It is our primary goal to equip our children preparing for adulthood with an education and the requisite skills needed for this change to occur,” she added.
