Reform coming to social services

New Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey has promised a reform of the social services system that will include the consolidation of several departments into a Department of Family Services.

He made the announcement on Wednesday, after he was sworn in as minister and Member of Parliament for St Michael South, by President Dame Sandra Mason at State House.

Speaking to the media after the ceremony, he said the Mia Mottley-led administration has advanced plans to bring large-scale restructuring to important social services, with the hope that within a year’s time, a reformed social services department can be presented to the public.

“Many people complain, as it stands now when they interact with the departments that they are not treated well.  Those are some of the things I intend to address. The social services department has to treat people as a priority, to make it much more people-centred,” he said.

The former Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy said given his numerous years of experience and qualifications related to social services – such as previously being Manager of the Child Care Board and director of a constituency council, and having a Master’s in Social Policy – he was confident he could modernise and streamline the processes under his new portfolio.

“In many ways, I am actually just going home. I’ve been in this ministry for 12 years. I look forward to returning and building on the work that Minister Cynthia Forde would have done. For me, some of the urgent priorities are restructuring the ministry…. One of our important mandates as a government [is] to be able to make social services more accessible to the people who need them,” he said.

“We intend to amalgamate all the various departments to form a department of family services.”

Meantime, Humphrey said that while the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy is no longer a standalone ministry, work continues for all stakeholders.

The responsibility for that particular sector is now that of Minister of Environment, National Beautification, and the Blue and Green Economy Adrian Forde.

“The reality is that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy may no longer exist but that the [work] we have put in place still does. The primary components of the ministry are still together,” Humphrey said, adding that he was proud of the work he was able to do in the last three and a half years and looked forward to seeing it advance.

“I speak to Minister Forde every day, who I think will be an amazing minister with responsibility for the blue economy and the green economy. So I expect that the work started will continue. I do not think, necessarily, that we are going to lose any of the energy or any of the advances we were able to make. Personally, I feel good that I was able to do the level of work I would have done.” (SB)