ONE hundred and seventy children’s home employees were unable to contain their joy on Thursday after graduating from a capacity-building workshop designed to improve their skills.

The programme for the residential childcare sector was developed by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) last year in an effort to foster growth and development, improvement and changes in the practices employed by childcare workers.

“I’m very elated, I feel so overwhelmed,” said 44-year-old Suzanne Dunbar who is an attendant at Homestead Place of Safety in St Andrew.

Dunbar, who is from St Catherine, said trauma care was her favourite topic from the workshop.

“It taught me how to interact better with the children. It was very good. I decided to go into the programme because I love learning — and knowledge is power,” Dunbar told the Jamaica Observer.

Courtney Lindsay, who has been a maintenance worker at Annie Dawson Home for Children in Kingston for two years, shared a similar sentiment.

“I went into childcare to help the children. It has been good. I really wanted to better my skills in helping children who do not have it,” said Lindsay.

At the same time the 20-year-old said he finds it easy interacting with the girls who are at the home.

“They are between the ages of four and 18. It’s normal for me; I relate with them in the same way I do with my female co-workers,” added Lindsay.

Forty-eight-year-old Claudette Bowlin, who is a caregiver at Melody House for Girls in St James, said she found all the sessions interesting.

“I benefited from all the lessons in the sessions; they were informative. I sat and took my notes and I will continue to use what I learn to carry on with my work in childcare” said Bowlin who also received a perfect attendance award.

“I have to give the Most High God thanks for what He has done so I could go through the process with CPFSA. I feel blessed to be here,” she said.

Lauding the childcare employees who are from more than 50 children’s homes across the island, chief executive officer at CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey said she was pleased with their efforts.

“A lot of people you ask, ‘Would you want to work in the sector’ and their first response is ‘No’. We commend you for working in an industry that is so fulfilling, it is life changing, and the lives you impact in that sector — we cannot thank you enough for the work you do there,” said Gage-Grey.

The first phase of the programme targeted supervisors, managers and boards of management, while phase two focused on the care staff at the childcare facilities.

A total of 34 workshop sessions which were held for over 16 weeks focused on areas including productivity and effective supervision of children in care, mental health, dietary services, personal self-care, relationship-building and bonding, responding to children with behavioural issues, bullying, public health and inspection, and alternatives to corporal punishment.