Tackling: Foster care support to be more than doubled in 2026 budget

GREAT BAY--Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has marked the start of Foster Care Awareness Month with a call for the community to look beyond awareness and consider how it can better support vulnerable children, foster families and the broader protection system in St. Maarten.

The Minister, who wore a blue ribbon in recognition of Foster Care Awareness Month, said the issue is close to home in a small society where children, families and communities are deeply connected.

“We see them at the supermarket, at church, at the playground. We know their families, and sometimes we are their families,” Minister Tackling said. “That closeness is one of our greatest strengths, but it also means that we cannot look away when we see a child that is struggling.”

She said awareness must be matched by responsibility, and that responsibility must be carried collectively. The Minister also expressed hope that St. Maarten can return to more of a village approach, where neighbors and families actively look out for each other and for children who may need care, guidance or protection.

“This month, I encourage the public to look beyond awareness and consider how you can contribute, whether it is through fostering, through supporting foster families, or simply being more attentive to the needs of the children around you,” the Minister said.

Minister Tackling said the Ministry of Justice is taking steps to strengthen the families that have already turned awareness into action. This includes increasing the financial support provided to foster families, with adjustments being prepared in the 2026 draft budget.

According to the Minister, the proposed adjustment would more than double the current financial support provided to foster families. She acknowledged that the increase will not solve every challenge, but said it represents an important beginning.

“We know that this is not enough, but it is a beginning,” Minister Tackling said.

The Minister stressed that protecting children also means supporting the families who step forward to care for them. She said foster families carry a responsibility that benefits not only the child, but also the wider community.

“It is because we are serious about protecting our children that we must also be serious about supporting the families who step forward to take care of them,” she said.

Minister Tackling also framed foster care and child protection as part of a broader justice policy. She said investing in children before they reach crisis points is more effective and more responsible than dealing with the consequences later.

“My position as Minister is clear: it is far better to invest in prevention than in punishment,” she said. “Every child who grows up supported, stable and with a sense of belonging is a child less likely to end up on the wrong side of a courtroom. That is not a social argument, it is a justice argument.”

The Minister urged residents, families, community organizations and public institutions to use Foster Care Awareness Month as a moment to reflect on how they can help strengthen the network of care around children in St. Maarten.

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