Ministry processing over 30,000 single-parent forms

-interventions to be worked out
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has received over 30,000 single-parent registration forms from across the country and should complete the data entering process in another month’s time, says Minister Priya Manickchand.

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday Manickchand said that her ministry is in possession of raw data which is being entered into a special data base that has been created.

She added that when this process has been completed, ministry officials will be able to determine the various types of interventions that are needed and who are the neediest.

During a previous interview the minister had stressed that the objective of the single parent registry was to collect data which will then inform them of any interventions that could be made.

She had said that registrants’ financial status, the age of the child/children and their location must be considered and made it clear that all on the register would benefit.

It is hoped that the interventions made will put single parents in a better position to provide for their children.

The minister had said the objective of the programme is to establish how many single-parent households exist and when all the data had been collected the ministry would then examine interventions that can be created to make these vulnerable family units stronger.

Also she had pointed out that the single parent registration programme was one of the ministry’s visions and was included in this year’s PPP/C manifesto.

On April 23, the ministry started the registration process to create a database for the programme. A sum of $100 million was allocated in this year’s budget for the setting up of a fund to provide support to vulnerable single parents.

The registration process ended several weeks later.