Page 85 - Preventing Youth Violence

was a Superintendent of Police at the station where he was locked up. However, he never

visited DJ or offered any type of support, knowing full well how his mother died and his dire
circumstances. It became a difficult topic to discuss and he declined to comment further.

He said he had been at the mercy of others after his mother’s death, and that the case
officer at and other members of the CSJP staff were a few of the people he met in his 26

years of life who he believed showed genuine concern for his well-being.

After completing life skills sessions, DJ transitioned into the General Construction Level 2
Vocational Skills Training programme. For the duration of his training, contact with the

case officer was frequent as there would be checks to ensure that he was attending
classes and there would be regular office visits to review his case plan and discuss other

eventualities in his life. He noted that this was important as it helped him to chart alternative
pathways especially in reducing his use of marijuana and finding options to relocate from

Dalling Street, which was becoming increasingly violent.

During his training DJ experienced a major tragedy at the loss of one of his uncles. The
loss was very deep as this individual was one of the only family members he remembered

extending care and warmth to him and his siblings even though he could not afford to
help them financially. He was referred for grief counselling with the psychologist and

participated in two grief-counselling sessions.

The client’s accomplishments and challenges
DJ has successfully completed General Construction Level 2 and has received certification

in the skill area. The reports and transcripts from HEART Trust/NTA proved that he dedicated
much effort to acquiring the competencies required. He continued to General Construction

Level 3 and completed the work experience component of the training. At the time of
the interview, he was awaiting external assessment to acquire his Level 3 certificate in

General Construction. Table 3 denotes the national vocational qualification, which DJ has
acquired. He is currently employed at a hotel in Negril, Westmoreland; a job that the CSJP

III assisted him to secure at the end of his training in November 2019.

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