By Linda Major,Bahamas Information Services

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Perry G. Christie Tuesday announced the appointment of a multi-agency Social Safety Net Task Force to advise the government on social reforms.

Prime Minister Christie said the task force, headed by criminologist Dr.

Elliston Rahming, will introduce a defining period in the social promotion

and protection of The Bahamas.

In addition to Dr. Rahming, a special assistant to the Prime Minister, other

task force members will be drawn from the Ministries of Social Services and

Community Development, Health, Education, Finance, Housing and National Insurance and Labour.

The task force is the result of a study facilitated by the Inter-American

Development Bank (IDB) and conducted by consultant Dr. Lorraine Blank, who assessed the country's social safety net programmes and completed a draft report in May, 2004.

The objective of the study was to assess social safety with respect to adequacy of coverage and services provided, effectiveness of beneficiary

selection, appropriateness of the menu of programmes, level of financing and

operational aspects of service delivery.

After a workshop in October, the government accepted the results of the study and agreed to the establishment of the multi-agency task force as

recommended by workshop participants.

"We have always been challenged by not having data available to us from

which we are able to create a series or basket of programmes that could be

considered significantly more relevant in their impact than those that we

have to day," Prime Minister Christie said during a press conference at the

Cabinet Office.

The IDB study, he said, will give task force members invaluable information

to begin their work and work out a better system to serve those most in need.

"This isn't a mechanical thing where you put programmes down on paper," said the Prime Minister. "We're talking about feeling it and we're talking about moving and decentralising out. You will be particularly challenged to

ensure, given the resources available to this country, that we are able to

do more than initiate central programmes for the island of New Providence."

The Prime Minister noted the new investment projects earmarked for the

Family Islands will lead to the introduction of a new economy in those

islands, resulting in an influx of new workers and a changing community.

"We are considering major investments for Mayaguana, where there are only

300 plus Bahamians," he said. "Your work therefore, is to look at the

process of development in our country, understand how that will impact a

people, if they are unemployed, if they need retraining, if they need

socio-medical assistance — these are the challenges. You have to ensure

that the services and the programmes are relevant and meaningful.

"You will be called upon to create a series of programmes that will be

relevant and that the state can afford. In the process you are charged to

inform the Bahamian public in such a way that they would understand the need for their participation in being able to help the country create the

framework within which these programmes can truly be developed."

The Prime Minister said the public must be a part of the final outcome of

what the task force will be recommending to the government.

Minister of Social Services and Community Development Melanie

Griffin said the task force was launched to review the social safety net

programmes in The Bahamas and formulate a vision to move forward with the country's social programmes.

"It has provided a constructive assessment of existing social safety net

programmes and given a general view of the direction these should take for

the future, so as to target those most in need and become more effective in

the promotion of human development. With the study as the text, coupled

with the talents of the persons who comprise the task force, we are now

poised to revolutionize the landscape of social protection in The Bahamas.

"The study looks comprehensively at the services provided by the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development and those provided in

collaboration with other agencies of the government including the Ministries

of Education, Health, and Housing and National Insurance," she said.

Other members of the task force are Leila Greene, Permanent Secretary,

Housing and National Insurance; Jason Moxey, Sr. deputy director, National

Insurance; Andrea Archer, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health;

Christine Thompson, Ministry of Finance; Carl Oliver, Ministry of Finance;

Tanya Sherman, Department of Labour; Dr. Desiree Cox, consultant, Urban

Renewal and Transformation Unit; Coleman Andrews, Ministry of Education; Joyce Thompson, Tertiary Education, Ministry of Education and a representative from the Department of Statistics.

Members from the Department of Social Services are Mellany Zonicle, director of Social Services; Dr. Sandra Dean-Patterson, coordinator, Health Social Services; Mavis Darling-Hill, deputy director, Social Services; Lilian Quant Forbes, assistant director, Grand Bahama; Lorraine Duvalier, chief welfare officer; and Phillippa Ferguson, social worker.

TASK FORCE — The Government Tuesday announced the appointment of a multi-agency Social Safety Net Task Force, headed by Dr. Elliston Rahming, special assistant to the Prime Minister to advise the government on social reform. Seated from left are Leila Greene, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and National Insurance; Barbara Burrows, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Services and Community Development; Melanie Griffin, Minister of Social Services and Community Development; Prime Minister Christie; Dr. Rahming and Richard Herring, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative in The Bahamas.

(BIS Photo: Eric Rose)