The government is set to finalise the merger of its social services departments into a single state-run entity within the next two to three months, according to Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey.
This major reform, which will combine the Welfare Department, Child Care Board, National Disabilities Unit, and National Assistance Board, aims to improve the efficiency of child protection measures and streamline various services.
Humphrey told Barbados TODAY: “We have now the draft legislation for the amalgamated entity, which is the biggest part of it. And we are working with the unions to finalise the job descriptions—all the job descriptions we’ve done over for every category of worker.”
The minister emphasised that unions were meticulously reviewing the job descriptions to protect workers’ interests. “I support that process, having been in the union all of my life,” he said.
Despite some outstanding issues related to workers’ concerns, Humphrey expressed optimism about resolving these matters. “We have met with all staff and departments within the ministry, and there is significant buy-in. Some outstanding issues that have nothing to do with the amalgamation are holding back the process, but we are working through them,” he explained.
The St Michael South MP also connected the progress on the Child Protection Bill with the ongoing amalgamation efforts. The bill, which has already passed through Parliament, is yet to be proclaimed. Humphrey explained the strategic timing behind its enforcement: “We would like to bring the Act into being around the same time that we’re able to establish the amalgamated entity.”
Addressing concerns about public perception of the Child Protection Bill, Humphrey acknowledged initial misunderstandings about its provisions. “In the first iteration, there were people who were coming out and saying the bill had things that [it] did not contain, that the bill gave the government the right to come in and take people’s children willy-nilly, that the bill meant that the government would somehow perform gender transitioning operations on your children, and other egregious comments,” he remarked.
But the minister noted that public acceptance has grown significantly after clarifying the bill’s intent. “Once we brought back the bill, after we’d gone through the bill in Parliament, there were no longer these comments being made. And the public has definitely accepted the bill,” he said.
Humphrey emphasised that the legislation was designed to protect children and ensure their safety. “We’ve been working closely with the nurses and the police, also in relation to how the bill and the components of the bill that relate to them should best be implemented,” he said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind—there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind—that this bill, this law, will serve to protect the children of Barbadians, and that Barbadians for the most part are right-thinking people. And the opposition to a child protection bill in itself is almost ironic. You know, who opposes a child protection bill?” (RG)
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