Forde:Clerical officers need better training

Opposition Member of Parliament for St Thomas Cynthia Forde is calling for “better” training of clerical officers in government agencies that deal with family matters.
Speaking on the Family Law (Amendment) Bill at today’s sitting of Parliament, the MP said mothers and others going to the courts to collect maintenance for their childrenexperienced ridicule from some clerical officers and others with whom they had to interface.
“It comes from the men whom they have the children from; from men’s family; sometimes from other females who are in a relationship with the male and even sometimes from thestaff who have to serve them when they go to the court to collect the maintenance.”
Forde said it was “very embarrassing to the women” when such officers failed to address those mothers “in a more humane manner.”
“I think that there is need for the training and better training for those clerical officers and the others who will have to interface with those mothers and others who would come to collectthe funding, to be able to make them feel a little more comfortable. Even if the money is not there, there is still a compassionate way in which to deal with them and to of course, give them that measure of hope”, she said.
Forde also reminded counsellors of the need for confidentiality when dealing with family matters, asserting that not everyone who had undergone this type of training was capableof delivering the service. (GC)