Social workers shortage affecting PATH – Ferguson

Opposition Spokesman on Labour and Social Security, Dr Fenton Ferguson, has charged that a shortage of social workers is contributing to the high rate of non-compliance among beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement through Health And Education (PATH).

According to Ferguson, some 63,000 PATH beneficiaries are deemed non-compliant.

Speaking in his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament yesterday he said employing more social workers to do regular monitoring of these persons would help to address the problem. 

On Tuesday, Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson expressed concern that some primary school students on PATH were not attending school regularly.

Robinson said some 22 per cent of boys and some 17  per cent of girls were not meeting the 85 per cent minimum attendance rate required to receive PATH benefits.