SEA launched: Islandwide overhaul of social services begins

Government on Wednesday formally launched the Social Empowerment Agency (SEA), an amalgamation of the island’s social services which officials say is intended to transform how assistance is delivered to Barbadians.

The first SEA client centre was opened at Six Roads, St Philip, and is intended to replace a long-criticised system with a single, integrated and more humane model of care.

Additional centres are planned for Bentham, St Lucy in the north, Sunset Crest, St James in the west, and Southern Plaza in the south, providing islandwide coverage. 

Officials from the former social service agencies attended the launch, along with social workers and members of the disability community.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey described the launch as more than the opening of a new facility, framing it as a decisive shift in the islands’ relationship with citizens who rely on social support. 

“We are not just opening a new building, we are opening a new way of delivering social services to the people,” Humphrey said.

The Minister said the SEA model addressed long-standing structural weaknesses in the delivery of social care, where individuals with complex needs were forced to navigate multiple agencies to receive assistance. 

“Social problems are complex and the system we had previously in Barbados offered a fragmented approach to delivering social services. You could have one person with complex needs having to go to four different agencies to be served. 

“What we have done is to reverse that. Instead of having to go to four different agencies, one agency will now attend to the four different needs…and that is a radical transformation in delivery of social services,” Humphrey maintained.

He said the rebranding and restructuring were deliberate, noting that the name was carefully chosen to reflect a broader philosophical shift. 

“We not only had to change the name, but the idea that the state must change its relationship with its citizenry because the state now has to play the role in many cases of family and to be able to deliver social services in a different way. 

“Beyond offering a coordinated service we are offering a service that allows people to feel dignified and to feel as if they’re human and to be treated in that way. People are not cases,” Humphrey said.

The minister revealed that although services were streamlined, he said no staff member was disadvantaged in the process. 

He said discussions with unions, including the National Union of Public Workers and the Unity Workers’ Union, were extensive and transparent. 

“Let it not be said that any single worker was disadvantaged when we asked them to come over. People did not lose their years,” Humphrey said, noting that conditions were improved for staff who joined the agency. 

He disclosed that approximately 99.5 per cent of eligible workers transferred voluntarily after what he described as about 80 meetings with staff over a two-month period. 

Member of Parliament for St Philip West and Minister of Economic Affairs and Investment, Kay McConney said the reopening of a social services office in Six Roads addressed a long-standing gap that had placed additional strain on vulnerable residents. 

She recalled that the previous office had been closed several years ago, forcing constituents to travel to multiple locations for assistance. 

“When people are already feeling challenged by their own circumstances, facing some of the toughest times financially, emotionally, and physically, that kind of running around from pillar to post can seem somewhat overwhelming,” she said.

McConney said while the SEA’s one-stop-shop model, which included accessibility for persons with disabilities and improved working conditions were important, she cautioned that the true test would be the quality of service delivered. 

“Unless the quality of service inside matches all that we have done, this blue building will just leave people blue,” she said, expressing confidence that staff within the agency could lead a shift towards what she described as “human care”.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who also addressed the launch, said the creation of the SEA was one of the proudest moments of her tenure. 

“This is one of the proudest moments for me as Prime Minister of this nation, because today we’re not simply opening a building or a client centre. We are changing how we seek to relate to one another, particularly those who for no fault of their own in many instances need the support of others to be given that opportunity to take control of their lives.”