Zenaida Haven, a facility in Anguilla for youngsters referred there by a Magistrate’s Court Order, has been the subject of a study tour by sixteen OECS Member States delegates.
The delegates, who undertook the Juvenile Justice Study Tour to Anguilla on April 25 and 26, included representatives from the OECS Secretariat, Senior Magistrates, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Residential/Rehabilitation Homes.
The study tour was the result of a regional visit to residential facilities by OECS and UNICEF representatives almost three years ago when Anguilla’s Zenaida Haven, run by the Department of Probation, was identified as a best practice model. This was due to its non-institutional care and use of Government and Community resources to facilitate its work.
The first day of the OECS study tour programme comprised a presentation and discussion period, and question and answer session, conducted by personnel from the Department of Probation and related agencies. The programme for the second day included a guided tour of Zenaida Haven conducted by the Supervisor, Mrs. Angelina Carty, and the Senior Probation Officer, Mrs. Christine Brooks-Morancie.
There were also visits to the Department of Social Development; the Blowing Point Community Development Centre; the Education Department; the Workshop Initiative for Support in Education (WISE) and the Pupil Referral Unit; and the Department of Youth and Culture.
The visit by the OECS delegates came in the run-up to the observance of the Fourth Anniversary of Zenaida Haven – with a Church Service at the Central Baptist Church at Rey Hill on Sunday, May 12 – and a Family Fun Day on the grounds of the facility.
During that Church Service, Chief Probation Officer, Ms.Joycelyn Johnson, thanked Pastor Cecil Richardson and his congregation for the love, support and mentorship of the youngsters at Zenaida. She said that while the work was not without its challenges, the thirty-six young men who had passed through the doors of Zenaida Haven to date, and those there presently, were the recipients of good wishes from all as they continued their lives.
The Department of Probation was established by the Government of Anguilla eight years ago – and Zenaida Haven, which currently has eight residents, has been in operation for four years.
