ODPEM Developing Welfare Plan To Assist Children In West Kingston

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is developing a welfare plan, which will address the needs of children affected by the police/military operation in West Kingston.

Deputy Director General at ODPEM, Richard Thompson, told JIS News that the agency has contacted the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in an effort to assist the children.

He informed that the plan will include a psychosocial component, as some of the children might have counselling needs based on what has happened.

“We are working though to see how best we can deal with that as well,” Mr. Thompson said, noting that the Jamaica Red Cross will be carrying out a similar programme.

“We want to look at that, we want to look at the psychosocial component. Everyone will be affected psychologically by what happened, but children are more affected when things like that happen,” he stated.

He said that it is likely that some employees of the ODPEM might assist, since they have been trained in that field.