Children and Family Services

History

 

Child domestic workers are perhaps amongst the most exploited sectors in Haiti. A child who stays with and works for another family is called a "restavec" (rester avec), in Creole. According to the Restavec Children Foundation, these children are often given away or sold by poor families in order to survive. Frequently the children's most basic rights to health and education are denied. They are not paid for their work and often abused. For instance, the restavecs have to return to their duties in the house, after having escorted the house owner's children to school. The restavec boys and the girls often flee at the age of 12-13, joining one of the many street gangs or ending up as prostitutes.

The Incidence and Horrors of Child Labour in Haiti

According to the Haitian government, there are about 90,000 to 120,000 children in bondage, but UNICEF estimates significantly larger numbers, ranging from 250,000 to 300,000. Very little child labour is used in the formal sectors of the country and is largely confined to the informal underbelly of the economy and the domestic sphere. However, desperate rural families bring their children into Port-Au-Prince and other urban areas to work as domestics in the homes of well-to-do families, who ostensibly should be providing them with schooling in return. However, these children often perform the most wretched of tasks that hired help refuse to do, such as emptying bedpans and walking for miles fetching water. They are also forced to work very long hours without compensation and are harshly brutalized for even the slightest mistake or neglect of a duty. They are frequently subject to severe physical abuse, as their owners often beat them mercilessly with cowhide switches manufactured especially for that purpose, for the most minor of infractions. These children are exposed to insensible acts of violence, such as one girl who was set ablaze because allegedly her employers wanted to find out if hairspray was flammable.

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Over 70 percent of the restavecs are girls, most of whom range from as young as 3 to 15 years of age. Many of them are virtually enslaved by individuals who are situated in only slightly better circumstances, who otherwise could not afford to hire domestics. In a class-based society such as Haiti, the ownership of a restavec elevates one a few rungs on the social ladder. Restavecs are often made to sleep on the floor, usually under a table, on a pile of rags or on a piece of dirty cardboard outside of the family’s home. Moreover, they are easily identified on the streets by their tattered clothing. It is devastatingly common for young, female restavecs to be subjected to repeated rape by male members of the “host family.” When their owners have no further use for them, these children are often thrust out onto the streets after being severely beaten or sexually abused. Since these children have not received the education promised by their “hosts,” they have little opportunity to improve their situation at the close of their servitude.

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Michale Sheckleford Posted 14 Sep 2006

 

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My Solution for children & family

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The Plan of my administration is to create a plan and Strategies to be undertaken that respond to community needs by, the Youth Bureau for youth development and services and by Social Services in the areas of Adoption, Foster Care Services for Children, Preventive Services for Children, Protective Services for Adults, Protective Services for Children, Other Adult Services, and Other Children and Family Services. The Plan contains estimates of expenditures and program information.

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Abuse is the non accidental injury of a child. It includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, exploitation and neglect.

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My administration will require that we assess all referrals which allege that a child is endangered by abuse, neglect, or exploitation. In addition, the Children & Family Services Bureau has the responsibility to investigate reports of children in immediate danger to ensure their safety.

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Children and youth should be.

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Safe, healthy, in school, out of trouble, have a real permanency, and a chance to be productive citizens.  Safety Children have a right to be safe and parented with dignity in their own home, in kinship care, or in the foster care system.  Permanence Youth need to return to family or to be placed in guardianship or adoptions in as timely a manner as humanly possible. Health Children need to be healthy in mind and body. They require comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health care. They need to grow up in an environment of normalcy. Children need to be successful in school, be able to graduate, and to learn the skills needed to enter adulthood.

Youth need to be raised with tolerance and care to teach them to avoid delinquency, substance abuse, or unwanted pregnancy.  Youth who age out of the foster care system should have a place to live, a job, and a chance to go to college.

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Mental Health Services

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In conjunction with Children and Family Services social workers, provide comprehensive assessment, case planning, and increased case management support services to children, their parents and caretakers.

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· Mental health assessment

· Individual, group, and family therapy

· Crisis evaluation and management

· Medication evaluation and support

· Psychological testing/evaluation, to develop treatment recommendations and/or provide diagnostic clarification

· Mental health case management and coordination, for children in high-level placements,

· Referral to and coordination with other providers

· Referral to and coordination with short-term, intensive, in-home mental health services, for purpose of    stabilizing placement, resolving difficult treatment issues, and creating behavior change

· Emergency psychiatric hospitalization

· Mental health services to foster parents with whom foster children are placed, to ensure that children’s mental health needs are met, and that placements have every opportunity to be successful

· Mental health services to biological parents of children in placement, to assist them in increasing their ability to respond to the needs of their children

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UNDER MY LEADERSHIP WE WILL CREATE A CHILD ABUSE REPORTING HOTLINE

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Emergency Response (ER) Services

 

 Under my leadership a 24 hours a day, seven days a week, immediate in-person response to reports of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child. The social worker investigates and provides emergency services and crisis intervention to safeguard the child. Whenever possible the child is maintained in his or her own home. Where there is a continued danger or where there is no parent or guardian to provide care, the child is placed in protective custody by a police officer. The child is released to Children and Family Services and placed in a family-operated emergency shelter care home.

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Once the initial response, investigation, and temporary intake services are completed, families with continuing needs are referred to either voluntary or court ordered Family Maintenance or Family Reunification services. A service plan is developed with the family, one that gives a clear statement of the problems, what services are offered, and the specific corrective actions needed

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Adolescent Residential Programs

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My administration will provide a safe and home-like atmosphere to adolescents suffering from neglect and abuse from any parent, or family home.

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Domestic Violence Counseling and Housing Program

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Counseling and support groups for women and children as well as temporary safe housing will be provided  for victims of domestic violence. Educates the community about this issue and the importance of providing options for women who are in abusive relationships.

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Substance Abuse/Addictions

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Addiction specialists provide counseling to teenagers and their families on drug, alcohol, gambling, eating disorders and other addictions.

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Program on Sexual Abuse

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Specialists provide counseling for victims survivors of abuse, ranging in age from young children to adults. Also provides education, treatment and consultation services to victims, survivors, parents, educators, schools and community leaders.  providing child safety education and training to students, parents, and teachers in a sensitive manner.  Also provides consultation and seminars on the issues to communities across the country.

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 School-Based Mental Health Services.

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Providing evaluation and brief interventions for children with a variety of behavioral, social and learning problems, as well as student, parent and educator workshops and mentoring services within the school. Services available in across the country.

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Child Protective Services

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Haiti’s Department of Social Services will  provides 24 hour, seven day a week intake, screening and investigative services for physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and mental injury. The Department of Social Services investigates appropriate referrals to assess the safety and protection children and, when necessary, intervenes by providing services designed to increase safety and protect children from further harm.

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I will introduce into law to require any person who has reason to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or dependency to immediately notify the nearest office of Child and Family Services, a peace officer, or a law enforcement agency. Abuse, neglect, or dependency of a child can be physical, emotional, or sexual.

Child Protective Services will be a required service offered to all Haitian residents by Child and Family Services. When a child is reported as being abused or neglected, child protection social workers will be required by the Haiti’s new law to make a face-to-face contact with the child and determine if abuse, neglect, or dependency occurred.

Under my administration a child's safety is paramount. The social worker assigned to the case will assess risk and safety to ensure that any immediate protection needs are met. If the social worker determines that the child requires immediate protection, the child is placed into protective custody and taken to a safe environment.

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In cooperation with the family, strengths and challenges of the family will be  assessed and the family is linked to needed services and resources across Haiti that will be available, either through Child and Family Services or through other community resources. Social workers will  provide crisis intervention for children and their families in times of trauma and confusion. Where possible, Child and Family Services will works with the family to determine ways to ensure the child's safety and overall well-being so that the family can be stabilized at the earliest possible time.

All reports of abuse, neglect, or dependency are strictly confidential under my leadership.

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Adoption Program

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All children deserve to have permanency in their lives. Under my plan I will facilitate adoption services that will help obtain permanent homes for children whom we call restavec or in state custody who cannot safely be returned to their original homes. Adoptions may be made by relatives, families who have fostered the child, or a family seeking to add to their family. In each of these instances, the goal is to find a home for each child that will be permanent and loving in which the child can be safe and thrive.

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Adoption assessments will be done in a unified process that also prepares and trains a family to foster or adopt a child with unique needs. Families and children are matched in an attempt to find the very best family for each child.

Adopted children may qualify to continue to receive adoption assistance until they are 18 years old. The goal is to ensure a successful experience for both the child and the family in a nurturing relationship.

Adoption agencies must be licensed and must meet Haiti’s laws, regulations, and other requirements in placing a child for adoption.

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Using five indicators of well-being to focus the work, a series of thoughtful and carefully constructed recommendations and strategies were generated under eight different themes:

 

1. Family and Youth Partnership

2. Interagency Structures

3. Workforce Development and Training

4. Information-Sharing

5. Improving Access to Opportunities and Care

6. Continuum of Opportunities, Supports and Care

7. Financing

8. Education

 

 

 

 

My Leadership commitment to the restavec children in Haiti.

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Protection. Children’s safety is paramount; children and adults have a right to live free from abuse.

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 Development. Children and families need consistent nurturing in a healthy environment to achieve their developmental potential.

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 Permanency. All children need and are entitled to enduring relationships that provide a family, stability, belonging, and a sense of self that connects children to their past, present, and future.

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Cultural  Responsiveness. Children and families are to be understood within the context of their own family rules, traditions, history, and culture.

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 Partnership. The entire country shares the responsibility to create an environment that helps families raise children to their fullest potential.

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Organizational Competence. My administration will be Committed to, qualified, trained, and skilled staff, supported by an effectively structured organization, to helps ensure positive outcomes for children and families.

 

Professional Competence. Children and families need a relationship with an accepting, concerned, empathetic worker who can confront difficult issues and effectively assist them in their process toward positive change.

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My administration will

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Engaging. The skill of effectively establishing a relationship with children, parents, and essential individuals for the purpose of sustaining the work that is to be accomplished together.

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Teaming. The skill of assembling a group to work with children and families, becoming a member of an established group, or leading a group may all be necessary for success in bringing needed resources to the critical issues of children and families. Child welfare is a community effort and requires a team.

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Assessing. The skill of obtaining information about the salient events that brought the children and families into our services and the underlying causes bringing about their situations. This discovery process looks for the issues to be addressed and the strengths within the children and families to address these issues. Here we are determining the capability, willingness, and availability of resources for achieving safety, permanence, and well-being for children.

 

Planning. The skill necessary to tailor the planning process uniquely to each child and family is crucial. Assessment will overlap into this area. This includes the design of incremental steps that move children and families from where they are to a better level of functioning. Service planning requires the planning cycle of assessing circumstances and resources, making decisions on directions to take, evaluating the effectiveness of the plan, reworking the plan as needed, celebrating successes, and facing consequences in response to lack of improvement.

Intervening. The skill to intercede with actions that will decrease risk, provide for safety, promote permanence, and establish well-being. These skills will continue to be gathered throughout the life of the professional child welfare worker and may range from finding housing to changing a parent's pattern of thinking about their child.

Child & Family Services of my administration plan will enhancing the lives of thousands of people children family across Haiti.  We will help children, adults, and families deal with tough times and struggles they face. We will offer more than 120 programs and serve more than 300,000 young Haitian resavec.

As the years will pass, we will continue to evolve and develop along with the abandon child who live in our community’s ever-changing needs.  We will help each person with family issues by providing professional and community training, and offering programs and services that reflect the current needs of our country. Without the help of generous people, we will not able to provide such services and programs to thousands of children and adults in Haiti . With your help, children can reach goals and see hope for their future while others can overcome obstacles and turn their lives around.

You can make a difference in a child’s life by join my team. You can be a part of our mission to heal and strengthen the lives of children and families across the country.