Port of Spain, August 19, 2024: The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) rank among the top five regions globally experiencing worsening mental health conditions, particularly exacerbated by the pandemic. This crisis has significantly impacted young persons who are among the most vulnerable. In response to this urgent need, the Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St Augustine and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Mental Health Chatline in Trinidad and Tobago as a show of commitment to providing accessible and effective remote mental health services tailored specifically for adolescents and youth. The signing ceremony took place at the Office of the Campus Principal, The UWI St. Augustine Campus on Monday 5th August 2024.
This collaboration of the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, The UWI Mona’s Caribbean Child Development Centre and The UWI St. Augustine Department of Behavioural Sciences is intended to improve adolescents’ access to mental health support. The Chatline service, which will be available to young persons across Trinidad and Tobago, is intended to provide accessible text-based support, referrals and information on mental health resources and services, and will be manned by volunteers, specially trained by the Department of Behavioural Studies. The hope is that this mental health chatline will mitigate the effect of risk factors related to stress, high levels of violence, suicide and drug abuse among others.
Minister Deyalsingh congratulated all the partners in the collaboration and added that this venture is a “realisation of a whole of society, whole of government approach to dealing with the issue of suicide.”
Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Pro Vice Chancellor and Campus Principal of The UWI St. Augustine Campus extended her gratitude to all involved in the initiative and emphasised the importance of addressing mental health among children and young adults. Head of Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences at The UWI St, Augustine Dr. Talia Esnard, explained “The Department of Behavioural Sciences (DBS) remains a critical partner in this collaboration. As a multidisciplinary department, offering programmes that are all grounded in the social and behavioural realm, we remain driven by the need to advance knowledge and practices that can positively improve our people and broader society. Our involvement, by way of training and supervising volunteers to support this mental health chatline for Trinidad and Tobago, is an extension of this purpose and contribution,” said Dr. Esnard.
Mr. Bertrand Moses, Child Protection Officer (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) at the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area reinforced UNICEF’s commitment to ensuring that every child has access to mental health services regardless of location, economic status or any other limiting factor. “According to the World Health Organization 50% of mental health disorders begin at age 14…As such the chatline seeks to address mental health challenges at the most critical stage in a human being’s lifespan,” said Mr. Moses.
This launch follows three Mental Health Chatline Training Workshops, which were held during the periods June 3-7, and July 9-11, 2024, at The UWI St Augustine Campus. The in-person training took place over three days and was followed by three weeks of intense supervision and skill-building. A total of 67 students and graduates from the Department of Behavioural Science participated in the training. These persons will serve as volunteers for the chatline. The MoU establishes areas of cooperation to ensure the accessibility and sustainability of this initiative.
