WHAT IS CHILDREN’S LOBBY?         

The Children’s Lobby is an interdisciplinary group of practitioners actively involved in the delivery of services.

The effort of the Children’s Lobby will be to the children.

 It is committed to provide an effective voice to government, or represent themselves.  The committee is primarily policy oriented and will pay particular attention to children at risk and children who are disadvantaged with:

a.        Handicapping conditions

b.        Health problems

c.        Social, economic, and family problems

d.        Special educational problems

e.        Legal problems

WHAT ARE THE LOBBY’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES?

1.        Every child in Jamaica is entitled to receive

                comprehensive developmental services, 

addressing his/her  emotional, physical, cognitive,

social, economic and legal needs.

2.        All who work with children-practitioners, parents, community groups and individuals – should play an important role in the making of policies and decisions affecting children, and should enable and encourage children to participate similarly in this process.

3.         Given limited resources, all programmes and services for children should be planned, implemented and supported on the basis of concrete research findings and have some foundation in established and relevant child care theory and practices.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE CHILDREN'S LOBBY?

1.        To help sensitize the Jamaican community to the needs of children.

2.        To support and amplify the voices that speak in interest of the child.

3.        To monitor public plans, policies and event relating to children for the purpose of keeping the wider community informed on issues that will impact on the family and the child.

4.        Encourage child, parental and community input to government planning and policy implementation for children’s services.

5.        To stimulate, discuss, collect and disseminate research data as well as provide information to the public on new thinking and/or models to improve the quality of services to the child in Jamaica.

6.        To ensure the established of a documentation center to include historical and current information on needs of children in Jamaica and the services provided for them.

HOW WILL THESE GOALS BE ACHIEVED?

     The efforts of the Children’s Lobby will be to:

a.        Monitor public policy

b.        Encourage and undertake research and documentation of issues

c.        Publicize current issues through newsletters, media articles, annual report and speakers bureau.

d.        Establishes channels for dialogue/consultation with policy-makers.

WHO CONSTITUTES THE CHILDREN’S LOBBY?

The Children’s Lobby takes the form of an interdisciplinary Advisory Council whose members bring professional skills and knowledge in the areas of:

a)       Child Development

b)       Pediatrics

c)       Child Welfare

d)       Research

e)       Education

f)        Social Work

g)       The Law

The Advisory Council will be supported in its work by a team of resource persons with special interest in such areas as:

a)       Child Welfare

b)       Law

c)       Child Abuse

d)       Institutional Care

e)       Disabilities

f)        Mental Health

g)       Public Relations

HOW IT IS STRUCTURED?

Advisory Council