Study Tour to the UK for Child Probation and Welfare
Deputy Chair of The Probation and Child Welfare Board, Mrs Celia Christopher will lead a 10 member delegation to the United Kingdom as a study tour with attachment to Targeted Services for Youth in Liverpool while being guests of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales.
Head of Targeted Services for Youth in Liverpool, Ms. Emma Rathbone, has expressed delight in accommodating the St. Kitts and Nevis team. She has also assured that every effort will be made to ensure that the visiting delegation is offered the best opportunity to experience meaningful exchange of best practices and ideas which can be introduced in our Federation to improve the manner in which The Probation and Child Welfare Board executes its mandate, including but not limited to child justice issues, youth diversion programming, mentoring, and rehabilitation of young offenders.
Other members of the St. Kitts and Nevis delegation to Liverpool include Senior Magistrate, Mr. Reynold Benjamin; and social workers Jacquelin Christopher and Eveta Somersall who are members of the Child Justice Committee Also included on the Study Tour are Inspector Mackie Smith of the Police Special Victims Unit, Acting Director of Probation and Child Protection Services (PCPS), Gerald Connor; Former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austin Williams; Medical doctor, Sharon Archibald of the Board’s Review Committee; and Mesdames Ruby Thomas and Patricia Lake who are facilitators at New Horizons Rehabilitation Centre (NHRC).
During the 10-day visit, which starts on October 13th, meetings and discussions will be held with magistrates of the Youth Justice and Child Protection Courts. The team will also have the opportunity to attend hearings of both courts and to observe practice and procedures. It is expected that court preparation procedures and related advice would also be shared with our Federation’s team.
Interface with Targeted Services for Youth will also afford the child protection staff, police officers, probation officers and caseworkers the opportunity of shadowing these professionals on case assignments to closely observe how the various services are delivered. While in Liverpool, the delegation from the Probation and Child Welfare Board is also expected to visit a secure children’s facility which provides rehabilitation for youth offenders, and closely resembles the NHRC.
The Study Tour is being coordinated on the ground in the UK by International Child Justice Consultant, Ms. Lucy Dawes with whom the Ministry of Community Development, Gender Affairs and Social Services has established an important partnership: she has been providing services to the NHRC, and more recently, to the Probation and Child Protection Services Department within the Ministry.
Funding for the Study Tour has been provided by UNICEF and the Ministry of Community Development, Gender Affairs and Social Services.