Rodje Malcolm, Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice - file photo
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Rodje Malcolm
The government is being criticised for the level of financial support being given to children's homes.
Rodje Malcolm, Executive Director of Jamaicans for Justice, has said the subvention to homes is not enough and has resulted in some facilities struggling to care for the children entrusted to them.
Mr. Malcolm pointed to reports that one home, Walker's Place of Safety, which was destroyed by fire last year, had an illegal connection after electricity was disconnected for non-payment.
"A current trend... has to do with the chronic low investment from Central Government in children's homes and in the CPFSA; and you can just ask the minister or ask government to tell you how much per month, per child is given to a private facility like National Children's Home and it's less than $10,000," he highlighted.
"So I'm just making an appeal that if you really care about those kids and you care about their well-being, we'll start to put our money where our mouth is," he insisted.
Mr. Malcolm said it is time for the government to also seriously pursue measures for reducing the institutionalization of children.
He said the risk for fires and other safety issues is greater because of the number of children living in some homes.
The concerns are being raised in the wake of Friday's fire at the Jamaica National Children's Home in St. Andrew.
The second floor of the dormitory building was extensively damaged.
None of the wards was hurt.
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