New social agency ‘needs to go where people are’

Minister of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector Colin Jordan has expressed support for the decentralisation of social security services, highlighting the need for Barbadians to access benefits without having to travel long distances.

While also voicing strong support for the Social Empowerment Agency (SEA) Bill that will merge several state social care agencies, Jordan cautioned that the agency must live up to its name by prioritising empowerment over mere assistance.

Speaking in Parliament on Friday, Jordan stressed that social protection systems must evolve to reflect the changing needs of locals.

He noted that while the government has already made significant reforms to social security, the restructuring of social services under the SEA marks another critical step.

“This government recognises that as we move forward, as time passes, as situations change, then those organisations, those structures that administer and are in charge of our social protection, also have to change,” Jordan said.

Barbadians, particularly those in rural communities, should not have to travel to Culloden Road in Bridgetown to register with the National Insurance and Social Security Service (NISSS), the MP for St Peter said.

The labour minister revealed that discussions are already underway to align the NISSS with the new care centres being introduced under the SEA, ensuring that social security benefits are more accessible.

“We have started the conversation… and the board obviously has to weigh in on this, but at the National Insurance and Social Security Service, we have started the conversation on aligning ourselves with the other arms of social protection,” Jordan said.

Voicing his full support for the SEA Bill, Jordan urged those involved in the agency to recognise that empowerment must be at its core, noting that “empowerment” is the most important word in the agency’s name and should therefore define its mission.

“This agency must be about the empowerment of people in Barbados… not that they don’t often have some level of power, but they do not feel that they have the power they need to move forward, to advance themselves culturally, socially, economically in this country,” he said.

He further emphasised that true empowerment is about more than economic opportunity; it also requires psychological and social transformation to give individuals the confidence to pursue their goals.

“The matter of empowerment also brings with it enfranchising… not just about economic activity, but creating a mindset in people that allows them to move forward and do the things that they dream of doing,” Jordan said.

Jordan also cautioned that the amalgamation of social services under the SEA must not be solely about improving operational and economic efficiency.

Instead, according to the minister, the goal must be to “move people from where they are to where they want to be.”

“I am hopeful that under the new agency, there will be a renewed strength of the fact that the calling of those who work in this agency is to reinforce the dignity of human beings, recognising their inherent humanity,” Jordan said.

He positioned the SEA as an essential part of a broader government effort to modernise social protection, alongside recent reforms in social security, further noting that the SEA’s integration with other social services, including social security, could mark a new era of accessibility and efficiency for Barbadians in need.

(SM)