Caribbean News
Director of Social Development & Welfare Urges Responsible Behaviour Towards the Department and Children in Care
PRESS RELEASE
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: As the Director of Social Development and Welfare in the Turks and Caicos Islands, it is with great concern that I address the recent incidents of malicious behaviour and communication towards our dedicated social workers and the children in state care.
Social workers play a crucial role in our community, providing essential support and services to vulnerable children, individuals and families. It is disheartening to see that during the course of our duties, we are being targeted with accusations and harmful rumours and behaviours that not only undermine our hard work but also jeopardise the well-being of the children and vulnerable adults under our care. I urge all community members to stand in solidarity with our department and to refrain from engaging in harmful behaviours that destabilise our efforts in protecting individuals.
I wish to emphasise the importance of responsible behaviour and communication when discussing matters related to our department and the children or vulnerable adults we serve. Acting violently towards our department and engaging in malicious communication not only harms our social workers in the course of their duty and the work that this department engages in but it also has serious consequences for the individuals in our care and families who rely on our services, as well as social workers and their private lives. Social workers are the backbone of our societal ills and we work tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable children
and adults in our communities. It is imperative that we recognise this and provide social workers with the support and protection that we need in order to carry out our duties responsibly and to effectively advocate for the best interests of the children and vulnerable adults we serve.
I urge all community members to exercise caution and compassion in their interactions with our department and to refrain from engaging in violent acts and sharing unverified information that can harm the reputation and effectiveness of our social services. The work that we engage in daily is sensitive and confidential, which limits our ability to discuss such matters in public forums, particularly children’s cases. Safeguarding children requires the utmost care and respect for their privacy, dignity and protection. Public discussions or speculations about specific cases are harmful and may jeopardise the safety and confidentiality of children, our fostering community and the families concerned.
We must work together to create a supportive and respectful environment for our social workers, families and the children in our care. If you have any concerns or suspicions regarding child abuse or safeguarding issues, we encourage you to reach out to the Department of Social Development and Welfare for assistance and if someone shares such concern in a public forum, I ask that you direct them to this department, which is the appropriate authority under the law. Our dedicated team is here to provide support, guidance, and intervention professionally and confidentially.
This Department tries its very best to work with parents and not against parents, however, a child’s safety will always be prioritised above all else. We have worked tirelessly over the years to strengthen our controls to safeguard children in care. Let us all work together to create a safe and supportive environment for our children that does not exploit them on public forums for personal gain but protects them during their childhood to either reunite with their natural families or to stay with their chosen families through continued fostering or adoption.
I encourage anyone with genuine concerns or feedback regarding our services to reach out to us directly so that we can address any issues constructively and transparently. We are formalising a complaints process that all persons will be welcome to utilise if they wish to share a grave concern for the work that we are doing or any other concern regarding our community. Your responsible actions and words can make a significant difference in protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.
The Department of Social Development and Welfare remains committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and care in our work, which has been entrusted to us. We are dedicated to serving the needs of our community and ensuring the well-being of all individuals, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation in this matter.
To report a safeguarding matter or complaint to this department, kindly see the contact information below:
MASH: 1-649-338-4013
Providenciales: 1-649-338-4008
Grand Turk: 1-649-338-2684
North Caicos: 1-649-338-6411/12
South Caicos: 1-649-338-6321
Follow us on Instagram: @socialdevelopment.welfare
Facebook: @department of social development, tcig
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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