Alarming new data from Saint Lucia’s Vulnerable Persons Team has laid bare a pressing child protection crisis across the island nation: of the 204 recorded sexual offences in 2024, more than 73 percent – 151 cases – involved victims under the age of 18. It is this urgent unmet need that prompted the launch of the Independent Child Protection Advisor (ICPA) programme in November 2025, an initiative designed to add a critical extra layer of support for young survivors of physical abuse, sexual violence and neglect. Now, the programme is rolling out a nationwide public outreach campaign dubbed “Connect to Protect” to raise awareness and connect more affected families with its free services.
The ICPA initiative is led by local non-profit Girls of a Feather, with core funding and strategic backing from the European Union. All advisors working within the programme undergo specialized training to deliver free, strictly confidential advocacy and hands-on accompaniment to any child under 18 who has experienced abuse or neglect, regardless of gender. Unlike fragmented support that many survivors currently receive, ICPA advisors act as a single, consistent point of contact throughout the entire protection and recovery process. They coordinate across multiple service providers, ensure mandatory follow-up on cases, and guide young survivors and their families through every step of official protection procedures and legal court proceedings.
Chelsea Foster, Programme Manager for the ICPA initiative, emphasized that timely, sustained intervention is transformative for survivors healing from abuse. “When child abuse is disclosed, suspected or reported, timely intervention and continuous support can make an important difference in a child’s recovery and ability to navigate the systems around them,” Foster explained. Currently, Saint Lucia operates with only one mandated government child protection agency, leading to gaps in service: many abused children are never assigned a dedicated social worker, and lack consistent support from the initial report through to long-term recovery. The ICPA programme fills this gap by working collaboratively alongside existing government agencies to deliver wraparound support including safeguarding planning, access to therapy, court accompaniment and other targeted assistance. “This is where Independent Child Protection Advisors can play an important role providing early, child-centred support and helping children and their families navigate the available services and systems from the point of disclosure or referral through their ongoing recovery,” Foster added.
The new “Connect to Protect” outreach campaign combines a range of public education activities to spread awareness of the programme’s free services. The initiative will introduce official ICPA ambassadors who will promote the programme across communities, alongside targeted public outreach across multiple channels. Campaign activities include radio and digital public service announcements, mass text messaging to reach households across the island, and a national tour of primary and secondary schools to educate students and staff on available support.
The campaign is designed to educate not just survivors, but the broader community including parents, guardians, teachers, peers and local residents. Participants will learn how to respond safely and appropriately when a child discloses experiences of abuse, get clear guidance on what to expect after filing a formal report, and develop a full understanding of the ongoing support that ICPA advisors provide throughout the entire child protection response process, according to an official release from Girls of a Feather.
To make access as easy as possible, the ICPA programme maintains physical office locations across four key districts: Castries, Anse-La-Raye, Micoud and Vieux Fort. Members of the public, school administrations and partner agencies can request support for an affected child through multiple channels: by visiting the programme’s official website at icpastlucia.com, sending an email to icpaslu@gmail.com, or calling the dedicated support line at +1 758 731 2020.