Please answer all questions
Andra (47 years old) and Baxter (51 years old) have been married for the past
seventeen years and are parents to Simon (18), Adrian (16) and Navita (12). Both of
them are employed on a full-time basis – Andra is a supervisor at the Courts Home
Store (CMS) while Baxter works as a Mathematics teacher at a private secondary
school in the city.
The family resides in a well-established community of about 500 persons living in
two- and three-bedroom units, developed with government assistance almost 20
years ago – Suttons Place. They had the option of renting-to-own or obtaining a
mortgage to purchase their property and opted for the latter arrangement as they
believed they could comfortably afford the 30-year mortgage. They have been
paying their mortgage for the past eight years and were even able to build an
additional room so that each of the children have a room of their own to sleep in.
The eldest child is preparing for his Advanced Level examinations in the next few
months and hopes to be able to enroll in university in Barbados to start studies in
Law, while Adrian is preparing to enter Form 5 in September and Navita, Form 2.
They have generally managed to keep focus at the beginning of the pandemic but
are now increasingly fatigued and find it difficult to maintain the grades they were
accustomed to and perform at their best.
With the pandemic seemingly not letting up, Andra and Baxter have found
themselves in some difficulty. Sales at CHS has significantly slowed and after six
months last year, in September, management informed employees that in order to
save jobs there would be a 10% cut in salaries for 6 months and if things did not
change, a period of furlough would follow from April 2021 until September 2021,
by which time it is anticipated the economy will begin to pick-up as vaccines
become available and the world returns to a state of normalcy. Baxter on the other
hand, has had to go to the school at least three times for the week to use the facilities
to prepare material for his classes and facilitate students who do not have access to
remote learning. He too, is concerned as the principal recently informed staff that
the school is owed fees from a number of students and that there a significant
decrease in enrolment is expected for the new term which starts in September.
Suttons Place is representative of the majority of small towns on the island that is
heavily dependent on destination tourism as well as manufacturing and agriculture
to a lesser degree. Increasingly, a number of persons in the community are without
full-time employment and there is a growing concern with the number of young
persons loitering in the neighborhood; as well as an increase in members of the
general public flouting Covid-19 regulations by hanging out in groups at local shops,
the mini mart and basketball court or flocking to the beaches on the weekend.
Andra and Baxter, in contemplating their income options and ability to meet
financial obligations are considering sending their children to stay with relatives in
the countryside for better supervision while they are at work, but communal living
and inadequate amenities such as a reliable internet service for continuity of their
online classes have them second-guessing if it is the right decision at this time.
Additionally, Baxter’s 79 year old mother recently developed a cough that does not
seem to want to go away. She refuses to visit the hospital as she believes there is no
way she could get the flu everyone is talking about as all she does is sell provisions
in a stall at the front of her home which is in the countryside, more than an hour
away from where her son lives.
Andra and Baxter are very hopeful for a change in the country’s fortunes. A recent
press release by the Ministry of Health informed citizens that the first set of vaccines
for its population of almost 300 thousand, most of whom are over the age of 40, had
arrived in the country and distribution will be starting soon, beginning with health
care providers and other members of the essential services. There are questions as
to the availability for persons perceived to be more vulnerable as, for example, both
Andra and Baxter believe themselves to be in that category.
The government is negotiating to get supplies via donation as it is hampered by
significant budgetary constraints and international competition in the race to get
vaccines. Securing enough for its population however, will help fulfill prospective
international requirements for impending Covid-19 passports that will allow for
free movement and stimulation of the world’s economy.
a) What are the prospective challenges facing families like Andra and Baxter,
inclusive of extended family members, in the ongoing pandemic?
b) What specific measures can Social Welfare Services use to ascertain and
address the needs, real and perceived, of families in these situations?