Nov 03 - Childline Gibraltar Publishes Election Wish List
Childline Gibraltar has published its election wish list which we reproduce in full below:
Childline Gibraltar recognises the excellent working relationship we have developed with various Government Departments but, as we approach our 10th anniversary, we would like to share our wish list for whomever wins the forthcoming General Election:
1. Development of a Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (“CAMHS”)
We are concerned about the increase of mental health problems among children and teenagers. Life can be tough for young people and we know that children and teenagers these days are exposed to many pressures. They include exam pressure, concerns about their future prospects, body image, social media, bullying, cyberbullying, peer group pressure and family breakdown. Indeed, our 2014 conference “Self-Harm Uncovered” attracted so many professionals that we realised the extent of the problems we are facing with our youth. Childline Gibraltar has identified this as an area of need and we propose to raise local awareness about CAMHS and would like to see a coordinated communal effort to ensure there is a clear line to whom we can refer our service users.
2. Introduction of a Young Offenders Rehabilitation Service
Our Appropriate Adult volunteers continue to express serious concerns about the lack of a dedicated service to provide support and guidance to Young Offenders to prevent them from re-offending.
A Youth Offending Service is an integrated service which encompasses both statutory and voluntary components. We intend to explore the feasibility of setting up the voluntary component of a Youth Offending Service but wish to continue our dialogue with Ministers and appropriate statutory agencies to promote the need for this service in Gibraltar.
3. Greater Support for Children and Adolescents Experiencing Family Breakdown
29% of the children and teenagers who call our Helpline are experiencing problems in family relationships and among these the largest number of calls relate to children who are frightened, confused or overwhelmed by their parent’s divorce. Children often believe that they have caused the conflict between their parents and many children feel that is it up to them to bring the parents back together. Childline Gibraltar would like to see a free counselling service established through schools to give our service users time and space to talk about their feelings and get the support they need.
4. Extension of the Rehabilitation Service to Adolescents with Drug or Alcohol Addictions
At present, admission to Bruce’s Farm is only available to adults and there is no similar service available to teenagers. Time and again we see the same juveniles, via our Appropriate Adult Service, in their vicious cycle of committing crimes to earn their next fix. We have nowhere to whom we can refer them (after the age of 16) and locking them up in prison is not helping to solve the root of the problem.
5. Family Planning & Sexual Health Drop-In Centre for Adolescents
We would like to see greater accessibility to education and resources for young people, particularly education on Sex and Relationships – tackling issues such as consent and the danger of online pornography being seen as the norm for young relationships. Ideally, free contraception and contraceptive advice should be available to young people, who choose to embark on a sexual relationship, in order to avoid unplanned pregnancies and to give protection against sexually transmitted diseases (“STDs”). STD screening should be accessible and there should not be the stigma of having to attend an “Infection Control” unit if such screening is required.
6. Development of a Communal Educational Strategy to End Child Abuse
We all have a duty to protect our children and the prevention of child abuse cannot be the responsibility of Government and voluntary agencies alone. Safeguarding policies, procedures and training should be introduced by Government for all voluntary youth, cultural and sports organisations, private nurseries and other childcare facilities. All adults working with children should be vetted and a system of regulation should be introduced. Allegations of child abuse should be dealt with swiftly and with proper investigation.
Childline Gibraltar would support all of the above and will continue to work tirelessly to end cruelty to children in Gibraltar. We take this opportunity to wish all the election candidates good luck and success in their political careers.
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