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THE CLIENT VOLUME 1 PAGE 8
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Between the period of April 2023 to December 2023, a FOSTERING REHABILITATION
total of 372 home visitations involving 146 households
were done by case managers. This was in addition to AND REINTEGRATION:
over 1000 motivational interviewing sessions with THE ROLE OF DCS WELFARE
parents involving 285 households. The visitations were
made with parents living in vulnerable and volatile CASE MANAGERS
communities such as Norwood, Mount Salem, Rose
Heights, Payne Land, Tivoli Gardens and Trench Town. In the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), case management
The main complaints of children in the context of plays a pivotal role in fostering rehabilitation and reintegration for
child-parent conflict centered around harmful inmates. Welfare Case Managers work directly within correctional
parenting practices. Statements such as “Parents don’t institutions, focusing on the holistic needs of inmates and wards
listen to me”, “Parents don’t love me", and “Parents give through personalised treatment plans and continuous evaluation.
me too much housework to do” were popular among
children. Complaints of verbal and physical abuse The programmes and services coordinated and provided by Welfare
abound. Case managers also encountered cases of Case Managers encompass a broad spectrum, including life skills
alleged sexual abuse, which were under investigation development, therapy sessions, and various events to foster familial
by the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and and community connections. Moreover, through Risk and Needs
Child Abuse, as well as referred cases of alleged sexual Assessment and individualised treatment plans, Welfare Case
abuse to the entity. Case managers noted absenteeism Managers tailor interventions to address specific needs and promote
as another significant issue, and they found that successful reintegration into society.
children often told their parents that they were not
going to school. In the words of a case manager, The impact of the work of Welfare Case Managers is evident in success
“Children are parenting their parents…they tell the stories like Dan*, who, while serving a correctional order, pursued her
parents that they don't feel like going to school". Case passion for makeup artistry. With the continued mentorship of her Case
managers have also found that many students attend Manager post-release, she has become a successful makeup artist.
school but do not attend classes and are often marked Similarly, Nass* achieved academic success while incarcerated at the
absent, much to the ignorance of the parents. South Camp Adult Correctional Centre (SCACC), leading to employment
opportunity post-release at an international organisation. Through
Home visitation is deemed successful by the case participation in vocational training programmes at SCACC Shad*
manager if the objectives of the visitation are achieved, learned the skill of cake baking and decorating and subsequently
and this usually comes about if the parent and the child secured a grant from the Organization of American States and has
give the required time and cooperation to the since established a business.
engagement. Effective management of the event by the
case manager is central, as disagreements between These examples highlight the tangible outcomes achieved through the
parent and child are a risk that may derail the visitation. dedication of Welfare Case Managers. The DCS has taken significant
Home visitations usually result in the case manager strides with the recent addition of several Welfare Case Managers,
providing conflict resolution, parenting education and, which will help to better equip inmates and wards for successful
for trained case managers, motivational interviewing. reintegration into society.
Parenting education typically focuses on
communication and positive discipline practices. *The names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals
Referrals to other government services are usually
done only where the case manager determines that the Corporate Communications & Public Relations, DCS
parent is likely to access the service; disillusionment
with government services is common among parents,
and the case manager makes every effort to mitigate CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
this situation. NEWS VIEWS KNOWLEDGE SHARING

We Welcome Your Articles on Case Management for
Case managers report that poverty has a significant Crime Prevention
impact on family dynamics and the learning outcomes Go ahead! Write that article and submit it for publication
of children and that the most observed need of parents in
is welfare support. Additionally, they report that in most
cases, the negative aspects of the environment the C ent
(endemic violence and criminal activities) have a
significant grip on families, especially children, thereby SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE
limiting the effectiveness of parenting education. This
LET YOUR
observation is corroborated by the systematic review LET YOUR
conducted by Alex Piquero mentioned above.
VOICE BE HEARD!!!!
Orville Simmonds VOICE BE HEARD!!!!
Senior Case Management Coordinator
For more information, contact the editor at
theclient@mns.gov.jm