Budget: Transitional Living Facility To Be Created
A transitional living regime for children who are too old for the care of Child and Family Services will be established which will ensure housing stability, while providing support and guidance, the Government has announced.
This was included in the 2020 Budget, with the relevant portion of the Budget Speech stating, “Safeguarding of children is paramount. As the representatives of our future generations, our children are valuable members of our society and deserve to be protected and kept safe.
“Therefore $750,000 of the increase in funds will be allocated to programmes within the Department of Child and Family Services.
“A portion will be allocated to the Psycho-Educational Programme, which has been underfunded for several years. The programme provides children and youth with protection, care and nurturance by licensed overseas therapeutic facilities.
“It was developed to focus on children who could not be effectively treated in Bermuda or those who had exhausted all available local therapeutic/treatment services.
“In the 2020/21 year, a transitional living regime for children who are too old for the care of Child and Family Services will be established.
“At the age of 18, children in care, most of whom have spent the majority of their childhood receiving services from the Department, shift from being dependent on support from the Department to depending on themselves. Many are not ready for the transition to adulthood.
“A transitional living facility will offer both a residential programme and a community based programme, which will be aligned.
“The residential programme will ensure housing stability, while the community-based programme will provide case management support,guidance, and connection to educational, vocational, mental health services and life skills coaching.
“It is essential to ensure that the needs of these children are addressed to improve the quality of their lives and afford them the opportunity to be successful contributing members of our community.”
Keep DCFS as far away as possible
“A portion will be allocated to the Psycho-Educational Programme, which has been underfunded for several years. The programme provides children and youth with protection, care and nurturance by licensed overseas therapeutic facilities”
How can you admit that the programme has “been underfunded for several years” without offering an explanation for that underfunding?