Secretary of the Division of Health, Wellness, and Family Development, Councillor Dr. Agatha Carrington, said collaboration is important in order to make strides in the healthcare services provided on the island.

This includes effectively responding to the alcohol and drug challenges experienced by adolescents.

“An area important for us as a people is our efforts towards collaboration with other agencies in terms of training for professionals who provide support for adolescents in our population,” Dr. Carrington said.

The Secretary said initiatives like the Adolescent Drug Intervention Training Workshop, which was held from July 23 to 26 at the Mount Irvine Bay Resort, aided the sector. The training was hosted by the Office of the Chief Secretary, in collaboration with the National Drug Council, Ministry of National Security, US Embassy, Port of Spain and the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization of American States.

“We are pleased that we had participation from our staff of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programme, Treatment and Rehab and the Programme for Adolescent Mothers as well as our community social work team and our probation hostel and probation unit staff, all with the aim of equipping them with responding to the challenges with our adolescents,” added Dr. Carrington.