"The People's Plan"-Vision 2008
Update: Part I
Government Information Services
Charged with reviewing the Vision 2008 NationalStrategic Plan, Deputy Chief Secretary Donovan Ebanks is adoptinga policy of periodically informing the public about Vision's progress.In order to maintain awareness, updates on connecting or overlappingstrategies will be issued at regular intervals.
A total of 16 strategies and corresponding action plans were devisedearly in the Vision 2008 process. They are intended to maintainbalanced growth and to integrate policy development in the CaymanIslands.
Mr. Ebanks points to the public polling exercise which soughtto identify the people's key concerns. "It's a People's Plan,"he says. "While this is not a race for the swift, residentsstill need to know how things are progressing. We're startingthe update process by looking at strategies one, two, and four,which are respectively concerned with crime and drugs, youth andfamily. These strategies all share common ground.'
Strategy One
This concerns the implementationof a zero tolerance policy for crime and drug abuse. It includesaction plans covering legislation; education, treatment and rehabilitation;illicit drug import prevention; secure facilities for juvenileoffenders; and crime and neighbourhood watch programmes. The followinginitiatives promoting this strategy are underway.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education Programme (DARE) - This has beenpiloted in schools and will be introduced annually to all Year7 students by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS).
Legislation - As the first fruits of the Sentencing Advisory Committee,the Community Service Scheme provides a critical step in the sentencingand rehabilitation process. The initiative is intended to reduceovercrowding in Cayman's prison system, by appropriately substitutingcommunity service for custodial sentences.
Rehabilitation - In a move to improve the rehabilitation of juveniles,the prison service now houses young persons serving custodialsentences separately from adult offenders. To further enhancetreatment of young offenders a secure remand facility has beenproposed and accepted by Executive Council. Completion of thisfacility is projected for December 2001/early 2002, with groundbreakingto take place in October.
Neighbourhood Watch - An ongoing programme; Inspector LascellesJohnson of the Crime Prevention Office offers advice and instructionon setting up manageable programmes. More than one can be organisedin a single area, and the RCIP's encourages neighbourhoods lackingNeighbourhood Watch to get involved.
Substance Abuse Services - The Caribbean Haven residential substanceabuse treatment centre is slated to open this fall. Once operational,the centre will also offer a day treatment programme. In Breakers,a halfway home is expected to be completed early in 2001. Ongoingprogrammes include family support and early intervention groupsfor adolescent males and females. They are designed to educateyoung people about addictive behaviours in their own lives, familiesand relationships, as well as to increase self confidence.
Strategy Two
This concerns the provision of additionalpublic and private sector-funded opportunities and challenges,sufficient to stimulate youth involvement in all aspects of Cayman'sdevelopment, including community affairs. Key activities are asfollows.
National Youth Policy - This policy has been drafted and is currentlyawaiting Executive Council approval. It should be tabled in theLegislative Assembly by December. Implementation of the policyis expected to come on stream with the establishment of the Youthand Sports Department that would specifically cater to youth development.
AIDB Assistance - Ongoing; the Agricultural & Industrial DevelopmentBoard already makes loans to Caymanian students pursuing tertiaryeducation. The AIDB also administers lines of credit funded bythe Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to assist young businessowners and small businesses mainly in the areas of agricultural,industrial and tourism sectors.
Strategy Four
This strategy is intended to establish systems that strengthenfamily unity while promoting a more caring society. There areseveral developments to date.
Sensitivity training for agencies dealing with abuse-related matters- This is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Women's Affairs. Policeofficers and social workers that recently completed a CaribbeanRegion Domestic Violence Intervention Programme will now cascadethat training to both colleagues and civilians.
Domestic Violence - Planning and resourcing of a Family ProtectionUnit is underway. Headed up by Woman Chief Inspector Denzie Carter,this unit will deal with aspects of Domestic Violence, sexualand physical child abuse, and offences committed by juveniles.
"While there has not been any great fanfare, I am pleasedto see how much of an impact Vision is quietly having on whatgovernment agencies are doing", said Mr. Ebanks.
Vision 2008, the ten-year National Strategic Plan, is the policyframework that sets the direction for further development of theCayman Islands. Strategic planning for Vision 2008, in which hundredsof residents were actively involved, began in June 1998 and ledto the development of the 16 strategies and action plans. In April1999 the completed plan was presented to Executive Council andin July 1999, the Legislative Assembly unanimously approved it.
The second in the series of the Vision 2008 National StrategicPlan updates will be issued in the next few weeks.