The training session was held under the theme, “Effective providers for victimised children or children who have been exposed to violence”.

In an interview with facilitator of the session, Virginia Rubaine, who is also the Clinical Psychologist and Director of Community Health in the VI Health Services, she stated that after that session, professionals would be able to provide evidence based assessments and evidence based treatments for children who have been victims of violence.

"The whole idea is to get practitioners in having proven methodology for effective change with children."

Ms. Rubaine informed this news site that many of the agencies within the VI are using standardize assessments and standardize treatments, "this training is to get everybody on the same page."

"At this training we are defining what constitutes violence against children, how it manifests, the symptoms, the signs of children who have been exposed to violence, assessment tools that have been tested and proven to be effective as well as treatments that have been tested and proven to be effective."

According to the Clinical Psychologist, the whole idea of enhancing the services provided in the Territory, is to provide solutions for trauma in victimized children and also to ensure that once justice is ruled out against the perpetrators, it stays out. She said the idea is to create a standardize way that when people offend against children, there are things in place that ensure that they will get their fair share of justice.

She further stated that this is the inaugural year for such a training and assured that the training session was not limited to Tortola alone.

"We have clinicians here from Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke, as well as Guidance Counselors, social workers, mental health professionals and police."

This training was amongst a group of activities planned by the Social Development Department to commemorate Child Prevention awareness month, which was the month of April.

Division Head of the Family and Children Services, Stacie Stout-James, stated that after taking advantage of a 'Train the Trainers' training programme in Phoenix, Arizona, she agreed to train the professionals within the VI on the said topic.

Mrs. Stout-James stated that after yesterday’s training, "information from a child will be obtained in an objective, developmentally and culturally sensitive manner that will be unbiased and is of a fact finding nature."

She stated that the best available assessments will be disseminated in such a way that along with evidence given can bear judicial scrutiny.