Saint Dominic's Family Services Empowering People, Preserving Families, Inspiring Hope Since 1878
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Melville said some of the men who abused him at the home were still moving about in society, in positions where they would have access to potential victims. He said it was a good thing that the Sabga report was out in the open and the police were investigating it. A survivor of abuse at the St Dominic’s Children’s Home in Belmont, who left there in 1997, said his ability to relate and interact with people has been irrevocably altered by the abuse he suffered while growing up at the home. He now lives in the Netherlands where, as a gay man, he has been granted asylum status. We work hard to earn and sustain the trust by families, parents, and our partner agencies to care for children and adults.
A Wholistic individual care plan is developed for each child received into care at SDCH detailing the actions and interventions to be taken achieving the stated care and placement goals. In May, the head of the Special Victims and Department, Woman Supt. Claire Guy Alleyne called on victims to come forward as the unit spearheaded the investigations. Four police vehicles went to the home located at Belmont Circular Road yesterday. The police service makes a surprise visit to the St. Dominic’s Children’s Home in Belmont.
Our Mission
The St Dominic’s Children’s Home and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-of-Spain have responded to the threat of legal action following claims of abuse against children, saying that it happened too long ago to be considered. The visit comes 2 months after Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley called on the Acting Commissioner of Police to probe the allegations made in a report done by a team lead by Dr. Robert Sabga. Next to that would be for justice to prevail and those who are responsible for their deaths be held accountable through the commission of enquiry . He said even when some of the children tried to report what was happening, it wasn’t taken seriously.
This unit was to be a family unit housing brothers and sisters together, as this was the new approach in foster care. While in Belmont itself, two departments were converted into family units a couple of years later. An integrated system of child welfare, ranging from the more intense, therapeutic, out-of-home services to restorative and developmental services and programmes aimed at reintegration into the family system and community. Our adult mental health programs provide care and support to adults who are challenged by mental illness. Our goal is to give them the ability to live in the most independent community setting possible.
Kiana treated with care, skill
Saint Dominic’s Family Services provides homes for individuals with developmental disabilities; ranging from young adults to seniors. Founded in 1871, the St. Dominic’s Children’s Home has provided family-style households for at-risk boys and girls in addition to a variety of programmes that offer trauma counselling, life-skill training and support for societal reintegration. The ‘home schooling programme’ is being run by certified and competent, experienced teachers.
Soon after the fire there was an outpouring of sympathy for the Home and approximately $1.5 million was raised from the public and business community. The Home in 1980 along with the three other foster care Homes became subject to the provisions of the Statutory Authorities Act of 1966. This has meant that all matters relating to the appointment and dismissal of staff became subject to the Statutory Authorities Service Commission.
Therapeutic
The Dominican Sisters were not untouched by these movements which resulted in our French Sisters passing the baton of local leadership to the Sisters of the Region. Gloria Marie Laurie was the first Trinidadian Sister to hold the position of Manager of SDCH – a post she assumed in 1963. More recently, circa 2000, a period of legislative reform dawned, driven by our government’s 1989 ratification of the Conventions on the Rights of the Child .
I can’t speak about others because I have no personal experience with them. If a staff/supervisor didn’t come out to work, a big boy or big girl would be sent to your department to help out, and sometimes they would take advantage of us too. At the core of our mission and existence is to believe in the potential of all the children, adolescents, adults and families we serve regardless of their needs.
“A male member of staff (who was once a resident there) is alleged to have perpetrated multiple sexual acts with a number of children up to the latter part of 1995. These included forced buggery; encouraging boys to have sex with each other while he watched; stripping and beating the older boys while the younger ones looked on; encouraging the children to ‘play’ with him, etc,” the report stated. We bring compassion to work every day for the people we serve and likewise we have compassion for our employees who give so much. We are committed to helping families stay together and provide services with a family focus approach. By helping them reach their fullest potential, they are able to give back to the community they live in.
We offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefit packages, and extensive training and development programs. Employees are recognized and rewarded for their commitment and dedication to the people we serve. Its mission is to ensure that all persons seeking services are referred to the most appropriate and least restrictive level of care within the agency. In addition, the Intake Department monitors length of stay, discharges, and ensures that entitlement and eligibility meet regulatory mandates and program guidelines.
Melville , was sent to the home as a baby, after the courts removed him from his father’s custody. His mother was a mentally-ill woman who was in and out of St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, or so he was told. On the site of the former trade shop a new foundation and structural framework for a new dormitory has been laid. However due to a lack of funds the building has remained incomplete for almost a year.
Instead of just rebuilding the dormitories destroyed by the fire, the management of the Home decided to rebuild on the site a vocational trade complex. This complex brought under one roof the many trades, which at the time of the fire were scattered all over the Home. This move meant that the post-primary programme of the primary school on the Compound, which did not cater exclusively to the children of the Home, could take advantage of the trades. This allowed the non-residents to use the facilities without compromising the security of the residences. “I’ve never been penetrated by a staff member but I used to get touched on my penis and anus from two men.
Our Community Based Services Program offers case management services to children, youth and families residing in New York City and Lower Hudson Valley. The 1997 report gained popularity after another report into children’s homes led by Justice Judith Jones was laid in Parliament on April 29th, 2022. The 25-year-old report which was completed and commissioned by a 9 member team was never laid in Parliament and detailed systematic abuse at various children’s institutions. He said he had spoken to the head of the Gender-based Violence Unit, Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne, and was also talking to a lawyer who was working with some of the victims pro-bono. He said the abusers must be brought to justice and he would be happy to testify against them. On 14th April, 1996, fire struck the home and destroyed a block of buildings, which housed the senior boys of the Home, and at that time the administrative office of the Home.
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