Minister for Equity, Labour, Gender, Elderly Affairs, Social Justice and Consumer Welfare, Hon. Emma Hippolyte, along with Permanent Secretary Dr. Charmaine Hippolyte Emmanuel, on January 28, 2026 convened a one-day strategic engagement with a wide cross-section of field officers aimed at strengthening coordination, collaboration, and service delivery across communities in Saint Lucia.
The session brought together Social Transformation Officers (STOs), Human Services Officers, Social Workers and Welfare Officers, providing a rare opportunity for frontline professionals from different units to engage collectively on shared challenges, operational realities, and future directions.
Discussions centred on identifying constraints faced by officers on the ground, including staffing and infrastructural challenges, while exploring ways to improve inter-unit and inter-agency collaboration to deliver more coordinated, accessible, and client-centred social services.
Speaking at the close of the session, Minister Hippolyte emphasized the importance of listening to frontline staff and creating a more integrated approach to social protection. “Today’s exercise was about bringing all our field officers into one space to hear directly from them about the challenges they face and, more importantly, how we, as one team, can work better together. Our goal is to strengthen collaboration within the Ministry and with external stakeholders so that when members of the public engage with Government services, they experience a one-stop approach that allows us to impact lives in a more holistic and meaningful way.”
Participants welcomed what they described as a renewed effort by the Ministry to strengthen visibility and engagement at the community level.
Darnally Estava, Social Transformation Officer with responsibility for Castries South-East, noted the importance of alignment between field officers, ministerial leadership, and parliamentary representatives. “There is a renewed effort by the Ministry to be more visible at the community level, while helping the public better understand both the services we provide and our limitations. Working closely with the Minister and our Parliamentary Representatives is critical, as this symbiotic relationship strengthens our ability to deliver on our mandates and extend our reach within communities.”
Kerian Calixte, Deputy Director of Social Transformation with responsibility for the Community Services Unit, highlighted inter-unit and inter-agency collaboration as a key outcome of the engagement, noting that many officers serve the same clients through different programmes. “Inter-unit and inter-agency collaboration emerged strongly throughout the discussions. Bringing these units together under one roof allows us to plan more effectively and enhance the services we provide, especially since we often work with the same clients. Sessions like this help ensure our interventions are coordinated and responsive to real needs,” noted Calixte.
Minister Hippolyte indicated that the engagement forms part of a broader effort to build a more responsive, integrated, and people-centred Ministry of Equity, with plans to continue structured collaborative sessions to further strengthen service delivery across the island.