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(Left) Mr. Bertrand Moses, Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Regional Office, the Honourable Terence Diyalsingh, Minister of Health, Professor Rose Marie Belle-Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus, and Dr. Talia Esnard, Head of the Department of Behavioural Sciences, celebrate the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Youth Mental Health Chatline.
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago – August 19, 2024 – this Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the top five regions in the world to experience the highest deterioration in mental health, which has been particularly exacerbated by the pandemic. The crisis has had a significant impact on the most vulnerable young people. In response to this urgent need, the Ministry of Health (MoH), in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Mental Health Chatline in Trinidad and Tobago, demonstrating its commitment to providing accessible and effective tele-mental health services to adolescents and young people. The signing ceremony took place on Monday 5th at the Office of the President at the UWI St. Augustine Campus.day August 2024.
The collaboration between the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, the Caribbean Child Development Centre at UWI Mona and the UWI St Augustine’s Department of Behavioural Sciences aims to improve access to mental health support for adolescents. The chatline service will be available to young people across Trinidad and Tobago and is designed to provide text-based support, referrals and information about mental health resources and services, and will be staffed by specially trained volunteers from the Department of Behavioural Studies. It is hoped that this mental health chatline will reduce the impact of risk factors associated with stress, high levels of violence, suicide and drug abuse.
Minister Deyal Singh congratulated all the partners and added that the collaboration was an “all-of-society, all-of-government initiative to address suicide.”
Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus, thanked everyone involved in the initiative and stressed the importance of addressing mental health issues among children and adolescents. Dr Talia Esnard, Head of Behavioural Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus, explained: “The Department of Behavioural Sciences (DBS) continues to be a key partner in this collaboration. As a multidisciplinary department, the courses we offer are all grounded in the social and behavioural domains and we remain committed to advancing knowledge and practice to positively improve our people and wider society. Our support of the Mental Health Chatline in Trinidad and Tobago through the training and supervision of volunteers is an extension of this purpose and contribution,” said Dr Esnard.
Mr. Bertrand Moses, Child Protection Officer (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) at UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Regional Office, stressed that UNICEF is committed to ensuring that every child has access to mental health services, regardless of where they live, what their economic situation is or what other constraints they face. “According to the World Health Organization, 50% of mental health disorders begin at the age of 14… Therefore, the chatline aims to address mental health challenges at the most critical stage of human life,” said Mr. Moses.
The launch follows three previous Mental Health Chatline training workshops held at the University of the West Indies St Augustine campus from 3 to 7 June and 9 to 11 July 2024. The onsite training lasted three days, followed by three weeks of rigorous supervision and skills development. A total of 67 students and graduates from the Department of Behavioural Sciences participated in the training. These individuals will serve as volunteers for the Chatline. The MoU identifies areas of collaboration to ensure accessibility and sustainability of the programme.
Conclusion
(Left) Child Protection Officer Mr. Bertrand Moses UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Regional Office, the Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, and Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus.
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