Avia Collinder, Sunday Gleaner Writer

THE MINISTRY of Labour and Social Security has secured the services of social workers to act as liaison officers between farm workers employed abroad and the families left behind in Jamaica in a bid to ensure that children attending school are provided for.

According to Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, low attendance at school is prevalent among the children of farm workers - some 12,000 of whom work abroad - because of lack of financial support.

"We have discovered that a number of workers who have travelled to the United States listed themselves as unmarried, but in fact they were involved in long-standing common-law unions with a number of children in need of support," the minister related.

Responding to this need, the ministry has set up a programme of social intervention under its new overseas worker-family services. A number of social workers have been engaged to monitor these families and identify and deal with any problems which arise during the separation of spouse and breadwinner.

"Through this new liaison ser-vices, we are trying to maximise the benefits to families, especially in relation to the welfare of children. We have greatly improved the contact between worker and family through our liaison association. There were many who had not heard from their family for a long time," Minister Charles disclosed.

Remittances

According to Monica Anderson, director of the family services unit in the labour ministry, there are 12 social workers in the field, one in each parish. To date, they have visited 724 families.

"Some of our migrant workers were not sending remittances which caused difficulties. What we did through the liaison services in Canada and the United States was to speak to the chief liaison officer indicating the individuals involved," Anderson reported. "We urged them to send home funds and they have been responding quite well. The families are grateful," she added.

Little qualification

Anderson says her unit has also seen the need to make recommendations in other areas, including those relating to teenage children who have left school and are doing nothing and others who have too little qualification to gain employment or further their education.

These have been referred to the Special Youth Employment and Training project, while others were referred to the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education.

Anderson says there is also a need for employment of older relatives, including those who want to do farming.

"We have referred these to the Rural Agricultural Development Association (RADA) . Twenty individuals have been trained by RADA and some have been provided with seeds and equipment."

The director notes that the social workers have also been counselling children with behavioural problems as well as homework assistance. "We have been spreading our wings. When you get in you see the need and we try to address as much as possible within our resources," Anderson said.