More than sixty early childhood practitioners and proprietors are more aware of their roles and responsibilities in the protection of children in the British Virgin Islands.

The practitioners met at a session on April 4 as part of activities in observance of Child Abuse Prevention and Autism Awareness Month.

Education Officer, Mrs. Jerelyn Callwood stated that the workshop was spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Culture in collaboration with the Social Development Department to make proprietors and practitioners aware of their roles and responsibilities as it relates to child abuse and neglect.  She said that there have been a few cases of failure to report which is a serious cause for concern; hence to prevent incidents from reoccurring, measures are being put in place including training of practitioners and proprietors.

Mrs. Callwood added that the aim was to aid practitioners in identifying the signs of abuse, to know their role in the reporting process, to know who to report to and when to report, how not to address parents directly and a number of steps and procedures.

The sessions were facilitated by Head of Family, Children and Protective Services, Mrs. Stacie Stoutt James. Topics explored included defining the types of abuse, highlighting common physical and behavioral signs, highlighting the status of the British Virgin Islands, the responsibilities of an educator and the Child Abuse Prevention Protocol.

Childcare representatives from institutions including New Life Daycare and Learning Centre; Little Rainbow; Sunshine Daycare and Pre-School; Alphabet Academy; Assembly of God Cornerstone; First Step Daycare; and Agape Total Life Academy attended the workshop.

The Child Abuse Prevention Protocol is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary guideline for the handling of child protection matters across various government agencies.

For more information on training sessions and other activities held in observance of Child Abuse Prevention and Autism Awareness Month, persons are asked to contact the Social Development Department at 468-3650 or 468-3672.