Free parenting programmes are currently available in Arima and in Diego Martin from next week, as the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services strives to support and develop strong family units. Minister Donna Cox says a strictly male-centred programme will also be rolled out early next year, to assist men in navigating life's challenges, as she notes, men also deal with issues, including but not limited to infidelity. Rynessa Cutting has more.
00:00Strong families build strong societies. With this in mind, the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services is offering free parenting programs.
00:11We have to now go back to the it takes a village approach, where we need to be looking out for each other in the community, as well as the fact that there are some persons who have surrogate parents,
00:25and some of those surrogate parents are gang leaders. So many times when your parents don't step up to the plate and do what they're supposed to do, persons that are gang leaders hold on to children.
00:39Minister Cox says the parenting program will give parents and guardians the tools needed to navigate parenting, but also the wherewithal to deal with other life challenges.
00:50When parents could encourage their children to hide their gun in their home, now tell me, alright? When somebody could wake up and just decide, well I am not, I don't like my wife anymore, I think I'm going to deal with her, you understand?
01:02Because of the fact that they may not be able to handle stress and so on, alright? And that is where we come in and try to assist, not just with only the parenting, but also the psychosocial support.
01:14And so recently we also launched our suicide prevention hotline. And it's not just suicide prevention, it's also crisis prevention as well.
01:22Minister Cox laments that men's needs are often overlooked in today's society. For this reason, the ministry will be rolling out a men-only program early next year.
01:33You talk about horn, and the point about it is, you know they say men can't take horn, right? That is what is said, right? I am not saying that, I am just saying what I heard, right?
01:43And therefore we have to help them too, regardless of whatever the situation is, or whatever the problem is, or whatever their challenge is. We have a duty to help because when we help them, we help the family.
01:57MP for Diggle-Martin Central, Simon Denobriga, opened up about dealing with challenges within his family dynamic, as he encouraged his constituents to take advantage of the program.
02:09I am a divorced dad, I have two teenage children, a daughter and a son, co-parent successfully. I have a support structure around me that we have built as one of the versions of a family that exists in a modern society.
02:28But the reality is, is that not everybody has that. Not everybody has that support structure around them. And as parents, sometimes we need to find the spaces where we can find out that we are not alone.
02:43Among the topics to be covered at the parenting workshop are healthy forms of discipline versus punishment, identifying behavioural and developmental issues and where to get help, and social media and parenting in the 21st century.
02:58We have advertisements that will be posted on our social media pages, as well as we've delivered hard copies of the registration forms at police stations. So for Reema, they can go to the Maloney police station, for Diggle-Martin, they can go to the Four Roads police station. And as we go community to community, look out for more information on our social media platforms.
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