TREAT THE CAUSE, not the symptoms. That’s what veteran social worker George Griffith recommends for bringing about real social development for Barbados.
He said targeted programmes focused on people’s problems and needs were the best way to achieve real change, as against the emphasis on how many vouchers were distributed, how many people were seen, how many houses were repaired and so on.
“It is as if there is much eagerness to deliver the resources without addressing the source of the problem . . . . As a consequence of the apparent misplaced emphasis, social service professionals feel compelled to frequently provide short-term fixes or crisis counselling to clients. This approach is most unlikely to bring about the required change,” said Griffith, as he weighed in on solutions to arrest the current negative slide within the society.
He said the way forward for long-term and transformative change demanded a fundamental transformation in the structure, management and provision of social development services. And no quick fix could work.
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