The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, takes this opportunity to respond to a recent article highlighted in a daily newspaper, dated October 08, 2018 related specifically to Children with Special Needs.
Ever mindful of the factors that impact the quality of life for children with special needs, the Honourable Minister of Social Development and Family Services, Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, M.P., recently announced in her contribution to the Fiscal 2018/2019 National Budget Debate, a proposal to dissolve the current provisions made for such children under the Public Assistance and Special Child Grant, effective January 01, 2019 and to make such support available under the Disability Assistance Grant.
This proposed measure would apply to persons currently in receipt of either grants and to all new applicants, and would allow for parents or caregivers who apply on behalf of children with a disability, to be exempted from means testing associated with the Public Assistance and Special Child Grants and for such children to be paid $1500 TTD monthly.
Additionally, parents and guardians can avail themselves of other support services from the Ministry such as assistive devices (wheelchairs, walkers, prosthesis etc.) in support of their children’s needs. Transportation can be sought through the suite of ELDAMO buses. The latter is done in partnership with the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC).
The Ministry also reminds members of the public that in March 2017, it invested in the development and implementation of a Premium Client Care Training Series, which was meant to ensure that all staff are committed to excellence in service delivery. The Ministry acknowledges that there are still pockets for improvement and as such, we encourage clients to anonymously call or email the Ministry, to report instances of poor customer service or dissatisfaction with the level of courtesy and attention received