Childcare takes child abuse fight to St. Cuthbert’s Mission, other high risk areas

May 21, 2019 News

“In order for us to safeguard our children and to have them grow up in safe environments, we have to work along with our commu

St Cuthbert’s Mission.

nities,” Milton Smith.
He is the supervisor of the vibrant group from the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) who willingly volunteered to surrender their entire weekend to empower families in the small Amerindian village – St Cuthbert’s Mission, with their Parenting Skills Training.
According to Smith, the initiative was birthed as the CPA received numerous reports from communities like St. Cuthbert’s Mission.
Some of these reports are cases of teenage pregnancies and child abuse. He believes that targeting these communities; it will train young parents and even matured ones, to properly deal with their children.
He identified those who have special needs since this seems to be a challenge for parents to deal with given since they are most times not trained to deal with children born with disabilities.
The training is also aimed at helping parents and young adults distinguish the difference between scolding and child abuse.
Last Wednesday, the group visited the area to launch a workshop at the St. Cuthbert’s Community High School, to educate the youth about teenage pregnancy.
Smith said he realised that it is crucial for him and his team to

Mother’s and children of St. Cuthbert’s Mission.

provide the training since parents play an essential role in shaping their children’s minds. As a result, the Parenting Skills Training programme will target different parts of the community for the weekend.
“We realised that we can’t work with the children alone, we must work with the parents too, so that we can save as much families as possible,” Smith explained.
The programme began on Friday with residents of the community. Toshao Beverley Clenkian was also in attendance at the community’s benab.
Referring to the community’s response to this initiative, Smith said, “We saw more than thirty-something households present today, and our target is fifty. So, we are implementing ways in which we can motivate residents to come out and be informed because the more they are, the more children will be saved.”

DSC2205- Mothers of St Cuthbert’s Mission in Parenting Skills Training