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Revolutionizing Social Work Practice in the Turks and Caicos Islands

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FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES

 

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands 18 June 2025 – Social Workers from the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), formerly the Department of Social Development and Welfare, Attend the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Conference and Gain Valuable Work Exposure at Surrey County Council, United Kingdom.

A dedicated group of social workers, along with the Deputy Director from the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), recently attended the prestigious British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Conference 2025 under the theme “Shaping Our Future: Promoting Innovation, Inclusion and the Social Worker’s Voice for Change”, held in Manchester, United Kingdom. The event provided an invaluable platform for social workers to engage with experts, discuss key challenges, and explore innovative solutions in the field of family and child welfare. A highlight of the visit included a special engagement with Janet Darby, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing.

The conference, known for its focus on advancing social work practice and policy globally, allowed DFCS staff to collaborate with colleagues from across the UK, exchange best practices, and gain insight into emerging trends in social work—especially in child protection and family support. The team attended a variety of sessions covering topics such as the role of social workers in disaster response, working with unaccompanied asylum seekers and making age assessment decisions, the use of artificial intelligence in social work, and community-oriented practices.

In addition to attending the conference, the team had the valuable opportunity to gain work exposure at the Safeguarding and Family Resilience Unit within Surrey County Council. This hands-on experience enabled DFCS social workers to observe and learn from Surrey’s best practices in safeguarding children and supporting families in crisis. The exposure focused on key areas including child exploitation (contextual safeguarding), foster care, family safeguarding conferencing, youth justice assessments, and the use of safeguarding assessment toolkits.

Surrey County Council’s social work teams provided a dynamic environment for the DFCS team to deepen their understanding of complex case management, inter-agency collaboration, and early help intervention strategies for families.

“We are thrilled to be a part of these significant opportunities,” said Aprit Thomas, Deputy Director of the Department of Family and Children Services. “Attending the BASW Conference and working alongside the talented professionals at Surrey County Council has been a crucial step in our ongoing effort to enhance the quality of care and services we provide to children and families in our community. We are committed to applying the knowledge and strategies we have gained to create a positive, lasting impact in the lives of those we serve.”

The Hon, Shaun D. Malcolm, Minister responsible for DFCS stated, “The significance of DFCS’s participation in the BASW Conference and the Surrey County Council exposure visit cannot be overstated. As the Turks and Caicos Islands begins to revolutionize social work practice—dedicating a deeper and more concentrated workforce to address the increasingly complex social challenges among families and children—social workers must be equipped with modern, research-informed approaches and tools to effectively respond. Exposure to international standards, emerging technologies, and evidence-based practices is vital to strengthening the professional capacity and ethical resilience of our local workforce. Attending these events directly supports the professionalization and modernization of social work in the Turks and Caicos Islands, helping to align our territory’s services with global best practices while tailoring them to the unique cultural and community contexts of the Islands.”

The Department of Family and Children Services is dedicated to continuous professional development and ensuring that its social workers have access to the latest research, resources, and training. This collaboration with Surrey County Council will continue to strengthen DFCS’s ability to provide expert support to families and better equip social workers to navigate the complexities of their roles in child protection. The Department remains committed to supporting and protecting vulnerable families and children, while working collaboratively with a variety of local organizations, community groups, and agencies to provide comprehensive services and ensure the safety and well-being of children in our community. This exposure marks only the beginning of efforts to bring the Turks and Caicos Islands in alignment with global social work standards.

For more information and to follow our transition from the Department of Social Development and Welfare to the Department of Family and Children Services, please visit our website: www.gov.tc/dsd or email us at infodsd@gov.tc.

 

Contact Numbers:
Providenciales: 1-649-338-4008
Grand Turk: 1-649-338-2684
North & Middle Caicos: 1-649-338-6411/12
South Caicos: 1-649-338-6321

 To report a safeguarding matter or concern to this department, kindly contact:
MASH: 1-649-338-4013
Email: mash@gov.tc | reportabusetci@gov.tc

 Follow us:
Instagram: @socialdevelopment.welfare
Facebook: @department of social development, TCI

Bahamas News

Don Jr. Bahamas Wedding to Proceed Without President Trump

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USA, May 22, 2026 – Donald Trump Jr. is expected to marry Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson this weekend in The Bahamas, but despite speculation surrounding the high-profile ceremony, the exact location remains tightly guarded.

Multiple U.S. media outlets report the couple selected a private island in The Bahamas for what is being described as a small, intimate Memorial Day weekend wedding with roughly 50 close friends and family members in attendance. So far, no publication has publicly confirmed which Bahamian island or cay will host the ceremony, though reports consistently describe it as a secluded and heavily private setting.

The secrecy has only fueled curiosity in a country made up of more than 700 islands and cays, many of which are favored by wealthy international visitors for destination weddings and luxury retreats.

On Friday, President Donald Trump confirmed he will not attend the ceremony, citing international tensions and responsibilities at the White House.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so.”

Earlier in the week, Trump had indicated he would “try and make it,” but acknowledged the timing was “not good” because of ongoing tensions involving Iran.

Donald Trump Jr., 48, became engaged to Anderson, 39, in December 2025 at Camp David after about a year of dating. This will be his second marriage.

Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.

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Bahamas News

Over a Week Later, Bahamians Still Waiting on Full Election Numbers

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The Bahamas, May 22, 2026 – More than a week after Bahamians voted in the country’s 2026 General Election, complete official constituency voting figures still have not been publicly released by the Parliamentary Registration Department.

While winners have been declared across the country’s expanded 41-seat Parliament, no centralized official breakdown showing constituency vote totals, turnout percentages, rejected ballots or margins of victory appears to have been published publicly.

The Progressive Liberal Party is widely reported to have secured 33 seats, while the Free National Movement won eight seats, according to tallies carried by several media houses, including the Nassau Guardian’s election tracker and other regional reports.

Still missing, however, are the underlying numbers which would allow the public to independently assess voter participation levels across the country’s 41 constituencies.

That absence is drawing increasing attention following an election already marked by concerns over long lines, advanced polling confusion, voter register complaints and questions about election administration.

Unofficial turnout estimates circulating in local media place national voter participation near 58 percent. If confirmed, that would represent the lowest voter turnout in modern Bahamian general election history.

Historically, The Bahamas has recorded strong election participation rates, with turnout often exceeding 80 percent in previous decades. But participation declined sharply in 2021, when official turnout fell to roughly 65 percent — at the time considered historically low.

Now, the Coalition of Independents says it plans to challenge aspects of the election process in Election Court and is escalating its criticism of the handling of the vote.

In a sharply worded statement issued to media, Coalition Leader Lincoln Bain announced the party will boycott the opening of Parliament, insisting the election was “flawed from start to finish.”

The Coalition claims the country cannot “celebrate ceremony while justice is ignored,” arguing that unresolved election concerns continue to hang over the legitimacy of the process.

Among the concerns raised by the COI are:

  • allegations of voter register irregularities;
  • claims that the voters register remained open after Parliament was dissolved;
  • accusations of vote buying;
  • concerns tied to the Pinewood constituency race;
  • alleged constitutional breaches involving undeclared government contracts;
  • and alleged conflicts of interest involving gaming operators serving in Cabinet.

The Coalition also referenced allegations surrounding criminal influence and drug-related claims connected to political operations, while calling for what it describes as a “serious local investigation.”

In its statement, the COI said there has been “no proper public accounting, no local investigation announced, and no Commission of Inquiry launched into these matters.”

The group is now demanding a formal Commission of Inquiry into the conduct of the election and related allegations.

Bain said the boycott of Parliament is “not a boycott of democracy” but instead “a stand in defence of democracy.”

The statement further argues that Parliament itself must be protected from “corruption, conflicts of interest, criminal influence, and electoral fraud.”

So far, election authorities have not publicly indicated when complete certified constituency voting figures will be formally released.

And that delay is becoming increasingly significant because the missing data includes the very numbers needed to understand whether Bahamians truly disengaged from the electoral process in record numbers.

If unofficial turnout estimates are accurate, it would mean voter participation in 2026 either matched or fell below the historically low 2021 election turnout — despite The Bahamas recording one of its largest voter registration totals ever, with more than 209,000 people listed to vote.

Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.

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Health

Grand Turk Residents Fear Norovirus-Linked Cruise as Health Ministry Approves Docking

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Turks and Caicos, May 22, 2026 – Residents in Grand Turk raised concerns last week after a cruise ship previously linked to a major norovirus outbreak was cleared to dock in the Turks and Caicos Islands days after passengers were reportedly denied disembarkation in The Bahamas over health fears.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak sickened 115 people — including 102 passengers and 13 crew members — during a voyage which ran from April 28 to May 11. The illnesses involved symptoms commonly associated with norovirus, including vomiting and diarrhea.

The outbreak became public on May 7 and quickly triggered concern across the region.

Authorities in Nassau reportedly refused to allow passengers off the vessel because of public health concerns connected to the outbreak.

That decision later fueled anxiety among some Turks and Caicos residents when the ship proceeded to Grand Turk on May 15.

Residents’ concerns were not without cause.

Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness often associated with cruise ships, hotels, schools and other environments where large groups of people share close quarters. The virus primarily causes sudden vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea, and spreads rapidly through contaminated food, water, surfaces and person-to-person contact.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most healthy people recover within one to three days, but norovirus can become serious — and occasionally fatal — for elderly individuals, young children and people with weakened immune systems because of severe dehydration. While the overall fatality rate is considered very low, the CDC estimates norovirus contributes to hundreds of deaths annually in the United States, mainly among vulnerable populations.

The Turks and Caicos Ministry of Health and Human Services had said in a press statement on May 15, it believed the risks had been effectively neutralized before the vessel arrived in Grand Turk.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Ministry said the ship had already returned to Florida, where passengers disembarked and “comprehensive sanitization and deep-cleaning procedures were completed” before operations resumed.

The Ministry also stressed that its Public Health Team maintained “close and continuous communication” with the ship’s medical personnel, Carnival Cruise Line officials and stakeholders at the Grand Turk Cruise Centre before approving the docking.

Routine inspections and standard port health procedures were also carried out, according to officials.

The Ministry further reassured the public that there were “currently no public health concerns” associated with the vessel’s arrival.

Still, the situation once again highlighted the delicate balancing act Caribbean nations face between protecting public health and sustaining tourism economies heavily dependent on cruise arrivals.

Officials are now encouraging vendors, taxi operators, tour companies and businesses to continue practicing strong sanitation and hygiene measures as an added precaution.

Residents were also reminded that frequent handwashing remains one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of norovirus and other infectious illnesses.

Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.

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