Child Care Assistant

About the Program

Our organization ensures that all projects address real needs and that the communities in which we operate benefit. There are many social situations that affect children in Jamaica.This includes, but is not limited to, abandonment, neglect, abuse, trafficking and general lack of care. Different organizations that seek to help in addressing these issues need extra support staff to carry out their daily activities. The current social workers have hundreds of cases, which makes it difficult for them to do the necessary investigations, provide support and follow up – that’s why your help is needed. The aim of the Child Care and Protection Programme is to provide assistance to children from difficult backgrounds. Many of them do not receive the type of care, affection and education they deserve so volunteers play an important role in helping in these areas.

As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to work with children in orphanages, child care facilities, children’s homes, homes for persons with disabilities and government agencies. Some of these children are abused, neglected or have no one to care for them. Volunteers provide that added support to the facilities and they are able to help in the daily care and stimulation for the children, provide individual or group interventions that support their emotional, psychological and physical growth and development as some children require special attention. With some partner entities the children live at the facilities while at others they do not. Government agencies provide support to children in need of care and protection. However, the system is overburdened with cases to be investigated, constant follow-up is required and there is a great need to provide counselling and psychological support for children and families. Volunteers can provide much needed support in these areas.

Volunteering on the child care project allows you to make a real difference. If you are a student or have experience in social work, psychology, sociology or any related field, then this is the project for you. You can work with children who have been neglected and abused emotionally, psychologically, verbally and physically. You will work with at an orphanage, day care center or with a government agency that focuses on child care and protection alongside social workers and case managers. Your role will be to assist with case management, investigations, reporting, court observations, assisting with individual and group therapy sessions and conducting research.

Your role as the volunteer is to assist with early childhood development for children by helping to assess their development levels with simple evaluation tools. This information is then used to develop programmes designed to improve their abilities and stimulate their sensory, cognitive and motor skills through dance, music, art and craft, games and role play. It includes basic education and interactive activities that promote growth and development. Volunteers also keep a record for each child. The general day to day care (bathing, feeding, laundry, cleaning) of the children and the environment is important to ensure that children practice proper hygiene and sanitation.

Volunteering on the child care project allows you to make a real difference. If you are a student or have experience in social work, psychology, sociology or any related field, then this is the project for you.

Volunteers will also be involved in monthly outreach activities providing services and support to children in need.

Volunteering with Special Needs Children

For some partners the children being cared for have mild to severe disabilities. Based on their disabilities volunteers will assist in activities that improve their emotional, social, intellectual and physical development. Volunteers with lots of energy and a desire to work with special needs children are welcome to join this project. Volunteers work at schools or centres that have children with various disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, dyslexia, down syndrome and others. These partners offer volunteers the opportunity to work alongside local staff to help in the classroom and with day to day activities, providing care and attention for the children. Some schools are divided into sections focusing on visually impaired, hearing impaired and physically disabled children; and volunteers are assigned to help in one of these specific areas.

The Location

The project is located in poor rural communities in Manchester -Jamaica, normally 30-45 minutes away from the town centre. These communities typically lack the resources to assist persons in need and also government assistance is lacking.

Safety and Support

Traveling in and around the Caribbean is safe, but like anywhere in the world, there are just some basic travel and safety tips you should follow.

Your safety is our number one priority. We ensure that programmes, projects, accommodations and communities are safe for our volunteers to work and live by conducting risk assessments and preparing risk management and safety plans. We provide a detailed orientation the day after arrival which includes the necessary safety tips. Background and reference checks of staff, host families and volunteers are completed. We have first aid qualified staff and proper emergency response planning.

As a responsible provider of volunteer placement opportunities, we ensure that we provide information and support about safety and security to our volunteers. With our risk management and safety plans across programmes and countries, we take a comprehensive approach and provide volunteers with the relevant knowledge needed for them to keep safe, secure and healthy while volunteering on our programmes.

Before leaving home our staff will provide safety tips and information to volunteers. On arrival there is a comprehensive one day orientation that further helps to prepare volunteers for their experience. It covers a wide range of topics that allows the volunteer to understand the local culture, programme objectives, expectations, health and safety and other key elements. All host families and programme partners are required to adhere to the risk management and safety plans. The plan guides the identification, assessment, analysis, mitigation of all risks associated with each programme and procedure of our organization. 

Our team is available 24-hours each day to provide support to volunteers if the need arises. 

Travel Tips

Volunteers will travel by taxi to and from their projects. On orientation day a staff member will travel with you on a taxi and show you the route and how to find your taxi area. While traveling around we advise that you take only the registered taxis which are clearly marked. We also recommend that you:

• Never travel with your passport as this is not necessary, leave it at your host family
  
• Do not walk around late at nights
  
• If you are out at nights call a taxi to pick you up from your location (we will provide numbers for taxis you can use)
  
• Do not walk around and always show your phone, laptops or ipads/tablet