This book consists of a collection of reflective writings on issues
affecting children in Jamaica in the 1990s and some
implications for programme development and policy
formulation. It uses material from the Children's Lobby column
appearing in the Jamaica Herald between 1992 and 1994.

The book is written for use by teachers, nurses, social workers,
planners, students and practitioners, as well as parents. It
should prove useful to anyone who would like to get a sense of
the direction in which the 1990s have taken us in terms of the
social issues that are impacting on our children and families,
and it seeks to point to those areas that need to be addressed
in terms of research and effective programme and policy
development.

In order to help the reader who wants to explore the topics
in more detail, the book is organized so that at the end of each
chapter there are guidelines as to the policy and research issues
that need to be addressed, and there are specific suggestions
about the ways in which these could be tackled at different
levels of intervention. Each chapter also contains a list of
resource material, which includes books, manuals and other
reference material from the Caribbean and elsewhere that
might prove useful to the reader who wants to know more
about the particular issues discussed in the chapter. In addition,
there is a general bibliography at the back of the book.
Information on referral sources for the different problem areas
is also included where appropriate.

A chapter on the Jamaican child welfare system is included
at the beginning of the text. It examines and analyses some of

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