Social Welfare and Vulnerable Groups Sector Plan.

The Social Welfare and Vulnerable Groups Sector Plan is a sectoral national plan addressing social welfare and vulnerable groups and adopted by the Government of Jamaica in 2009. The Plan will be implemented during the 2009-2030 period and it has as a vision to achieve a social welfare system that is responsive to the needs of the vulnerable population and contributes to maintaining human dignity. The Plan addresses vulnerabilities such as: homelessness; impact of natural disasters; deportee and refugee status; human trafficking; poverty and chronic illnesses. The Plan also addresses the needs of vulnerable children, youth and the elderly.
The Plan will ensure food security to enable the provision of adequate nutritional needs of children in schools and institutions by improving and expanding the school feeding programme. For persons vulnerable due to natural disasters it will provide adequate nutritional and dietary content of meals.
As mentioned the Plan is focused on social welfare and vulnerable groups, which includes the poor rural population. The Plan will seek to identify and include the vulnerable population in the social support system; meet the basic needs of vulnerable persons; and deliver in a professional manner a social welfare programme.
For persons vulnerable due to natural disasters, the Plan will provide suitable and safe shelters with adequate sanitary facilities, access to financial assistance and support programmes, access to adequate housing and suitable land; and strengthen legislation for compulsory relocation, where necessary and a community-based disaster management framework (especially regarding evacuation).
The Plan shall be implemented at the sectoral level by ministries, departments and agencies of the Government as well as non-State stakeholders including the private sector and non governmental organizations. The involvement of stakeholders will be fundamental for the successful implementation of the Plan.