Charities have welcomed pledges in the Speech from the Throne aimed at addressing social issues across the island.

On Friday, the Governor, Rena Lalgie, read the speech, called A Fairer Bermuda For All, which focused on issues such as domestic violence, health, housing, social care and substance abuse among the youth.

It also outlined help for high-risk families and measures to tackle unaddressed, multigenerational trauma.

In response, the Non-profit Alliance of Bermuda and Family Centre said addressing the island’s social ills was crucial.

Nicola Paugh, the NAB executive director, said she welcomed “continued emphasis on education reform, as well as development of trade skills, addressing violence and antisocial behaviour through early intervention and prevention”.

She also welcomed commitments to “addressing substance abuse through the reintroduction of the Bermuda Youth Counselling Services and encouraging greater preventive health visits through changes to Future Care and HIP”.

“They are all positive indicators of a commitment to preventive measures,” Dr Paugh added.

“We know it is socially responsible and more cost-effective to take early measures than to remedy situations when it is too late; so from an economic and social perspective, these priorities are welcome.”

Dr Paugh highlighted the Government’s plans to work with non-profits to tackle various issues.

However, she emphasised: “We continue to encourage the Government to ensure their commitment to this includes funding for third-sector organisations, who have frontline roles implementing these priorities.”

She also mentioned the Government’s proposal to use revenue from the corporate income tax to reduce the island’s cost of living and form a sovereign wealth fund for strategic investment.

“The economic benefits of debt reduction and long-term revenue generation will have profound impacts on community issues, if invested in a socially wise manner.

“We as a sector look forward to working with the Government to bring these goals to fruition and build a better Bermuda,” Dr Paugh said.

Sandy De Silva, Family Centre’s executive director, said she supported the Government’s focus on a cross-ministry approach to assist high-risk families.

“This kind of collaborative effort is essential,” she said. “It recognises the complex and multifaceted needs that families in crisis often face.

“At Family Centre, we see first-hand how issues such as unstable housing, food insecurity and limited access to healthcare compound the emotional and psychological stress that children and parents endure.”

Dr De Silva said that to “truly support high-risk families, we must ensure barrier-free access to holistic, trauma-informed care”.

“Our experience at Family Centre has shown that helping families develop basic life skills, improve communication and strengthen their relationships can be transformative.

“However, it’s equally important to address the underlying trauma that may have been experienced across generations.

“This requires specialised mental health interventions, culturally sensitive care and longer-term support that extends beyond immediate crisis management.”

Dr De Silva added: “Stopping multigenerational family trauma is a significant but achievable goal.

“It starts with recognising the cyclical nature of trauma — how adverse experiences in one generation affect parenting, family dynamics and child development in subsequent generations.

“By addressing the root causes of trauma through early intervention, mental health counselling and psychoeducational support, we can begin to break these cycles.

“Programmes such as Family Centre’s Counselling Services, Youth Leadership Academy, Beyond Rugby Bermuda and Beyond Yoga Bermuda provide youth and families with the tools they need to build resilience and adopt healthier coping mechanisms to help break negative cycles.”

According to Dr De Silva, collaboration was also essential.

“To have a lasting impact, there must be strong partnerships between governmental ministries, social service organisations and community stakeholders.

“Only then can we provide a seamless continuum of care that truly meets the diverse needs of high-risk families.

“There are many of us doing this work and support of these efforts is important to help reinforce a society where families can thrive despite the challenges that they may face. No one is immune to challenges.”