A successful Government initiative developed two years ago to provide a range of services to families in need, was yesterday established as a permanent agency.

Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation Dale Butler and Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing David Burch officially launched the Cross Ministry Intervention Team (CMIT) at a press conference yesterday.

The scheme, first introduced in 2006 as the Cross Ministry Initiative, was created to address problems facing "high risk families".

Of particular concern were those capable of exhausting the resources of four agencies — the Department of Child & Family Services, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, the Department of Financial Assistance and the Department of Court Services — without positive change to their individual situations.

"The common recognition between each agency is family unity and the recognition that within the family context, if the individual is strengthened, the family will be strengthened and ultimately the community will be strengthened," Mr. Butler said.

"At the core of this initiative is the premise that all families must be able to adequately provide for themselves."

The 2006 initiative introduced residential units through a partnership with the Bermuda Housing Corporation and the former Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing.

The programme currently provides services to 36 families — ten families residing at Morgan's Point and Beacon Hill and 26 elsewhere in the community. CMIT also provides home-based support to families with children transitioning out of residential care facilities.

Involvement demands that, at the very minimum, families involved are able to provide and maintain suitable and stable housing, appropriate nutrition, access to medical care, access to education and appropriate parenting.

Added Mr. Butler: "The Ministry of Health and Family Services — now the Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation — took the lead role in this initiative as a result of its legal mandate in accordance with the Children Act 1998.

The purpose of this Act is to protect children from harm, to promote the integrity of the family and to ensure the welfare of children."

CMIT aims to:

• Provide structure, resources and training to families, thus strengthening and safeguarding the welfare of the children

• Afford families the opportunity of stable accommodations while being challenged to address social issues that have prevented them from securing and/or maintaining housing

• Provide immediate intervention, treatment and structure in the lives of families identified to be receiving services from at least two of the referral agencies, through ongoing, active oversight and monitoring by the initiative team

• Improve a family's level of functioning in their environment by addressing problems that may contribute to their inability to maintain adequate accommodation and developing and strengthening their ability to lead independent lives

• Provide families with sustaining skills that will help them lead productive lives for the long term — including skills that relate to their continued educational development, sense of self-worth, and ability to develop positive relationships in the community

• Strengthen families by improving their ability to provide structure and guidance to their children

• Work collaboratively with community service providers to motivate families deemed to be at risk

• Counteract negative influences of peer groups and other family members

• Address the needs of the family in response to the developmental changes and challenges that they experience.