Government is moving ahead with plans to establish secure treatment facilities to manage children deemed “too tough” for child care centres, but not deserving of being in the justice system.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, made this disclosure as he addressed a press briefing to launch Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, in the HIV/AIDS Conference Room of the Ministry today.
“We have children who are too tough in some ways for our children’s home. They need a different type of intervention, [because] they have broken no law, they have committed no crime; [so] they shouldn’t be in the justice system.
“There has to be a place in between that allows these children to be treated. That is the secure treatment facility,” he said.
He added that the new Child Justice Bill allowed for children going before the law court to be sent to the secure treatment facility by a magistrate or judge to avoid contact with the child justice system.
Minister Humphrey explained that provisions were made for the secure treatment facility in the Child Protection Bill, and will fall under the Child Care Board which will have the competencies in the area to address the needs of the children there.
“It is transformative, it is different and it gives us the best options to be able to address the needs of the children,” he stated.
Mr. Humphrey said the intention was to work with the Ministry of Education to ensure that the children would have access to school while in the secure treatment facility.
He disclosed that his Ministry was also working with the Ministry of Housing and Lands to identify a building where the secure treatment facility could be located.
Stressing that the building did have to be a large one, he said: “Gone are the days when you have these large buildings to house children. Those days are done. We want to have small facilities; the best intervention is in community care. But if we do have to put them into care, in smaller facilities, that allows us to treat all the needs that they have.”