A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been initialled between the National Assistance Board (NAB) and the National Transformation Initiative (NTI) that will see some 600 persons trained over the next 10 weeks.

The signing, which took place yesterday at the Warrens Office Complex between the Director of NTI, Allyson Leacock and NAB’s Director, Colleen Walcott, aims to help the latter organisation achieve its goal of improving its human resources and provide training for workers to better enhance the delivery and quality of its services.

This was pointed out by Ms. Walcott as she spoke to media representatives. “Workers were asking for training not necessarily [in terms of] technical training but in terms of communication and engaging with diverse clients. And, our beneficiaries were asking for an improvement in service in terms of how our workers engaged with them. So, the focus was not necessarily on the technical skills but more so on the relational skills,” she disclosed.

Adding that the training methodology would see persons immersing themselves in the care aspects, she said this would follow the guiding principles of empathy and compassion and not just be about “doing a task” or providing a need. “But really caring for lives – putting persons back at the centre of care,” she stated.

The NTI training, which started today with 60 persons, makes use of the face-to-face format as, according to Ms. Walcott, the NAB wants its workers to “to be really, really, really engaged”.

Meanwhile, NTI’s Dr. Leacock, describing the partnership as a significant one, said it represents a collaboration that NTI considers an “unprecedented step” in its commitment to enhancing the quality of care provided by Home Help Employees and the Companions in the Community of Elder Care.

The NAB, she revealed, was now joining the Grantley Adams International Airport, which piloted this initiative of the Art and Heart of Service. Adding that, to date, NTI had trained over 800 workers at the airport, through this programme, she remarked: “So, as we embark on this journey, as Director Walcott said, it is an exciting partnership but also a very meaningful one based on the data that we are becoming an older population and therefore this work is pivotal to who we are, as a country and as a people.”

Dr. Leacock noted that a key aim is to realise a shift from a culture of servitude to one of service. Elaborating Dr. Leacock said: “It’s more than a change of mindset and we place a lot of emphasis on that. It is also a fundamental reimagining of what it means to serve. It’s about infusing dignity, respect, and excellence…. ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens receive the care and the consideration they deserve.

She also stated that one of the key components of the training for NAB staffers will be about understanding and practising disability etiquette. 

“We emphasise that service culture must be rooted in a culture of consideration. And, at its core this means recognising that we all have abilities and disabilities, and our approach must be one of empathy and respect for individual differences.”

Dr. Leacock stressed by adopting this perspective would not only enhance the quality of care but also promote a far more inclusive Barbados.

The NTI training will also focus on ethics, integrity, deportment, personal branding, communication, and teamwork. Noting these are elements of personal excellence, she added: “So our training will equip our home help workers as well as our community elder care companions with the skills to present themselves with confidence and professionalism, communicating effectively and most importantly working cohesively as a team, based on the Ministry’s plans for amalgamation.

“This holistic approach, we hope, will ensure that they are not only prepared to meet the physical needs of those they are caring for but also to uplift their own spirits and enhance their overall wellbeing. (PR/GIS)