Past Social Worker Students
Lifeline's Team
A Perspective From A Lifetime Social Work Student
If you are looking for a place to do your social work internship/ Practicum, then Lifeline Ministries is the ideal place for you. Lifeline gives you the ultimate experience. It has a professional feel yet it provides a social setting which makes you comfortable and at easy making your tasks and responsibilities easy to carry out. The head of the administrative department ‘Berns’ is well rounded and can and will assist you with any and everything. What a lovely team. You theoretical learning will be easily transferred to practice with the opportunities given to you in an open and independent environment. Beside the rich work experience, you will feel that you are part of a team. Sister Tina Alexander as she is affectionately known is a social worker and will give you real social work experience. At the end of your placement you will get the opportunity to decide if this is the field for you, and if so you will be well on your way to be a top social worker. 
Some of our Previous Student Social Workers
Beryl Newton-Blondel has been a police officer in the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force for the past eighteen (18) years. She has worked in numerous departments to include Community Police Stations, Administration duties at the Police Headquarters, Special Branch and presently works at the Criminal Investigations Department as an Investigator. One of her roles at that department is to conduct investigation into reports of Sexual Offences against women and children.  

At the moment, Beryl is a third year student at the University of the West Indies (Dominica Open Campus) where she is pursuing a BSc in Social Work.  She is hoping to complete her studies by December of 2018.

Mrs. Blondel is no stranger to child assault prevention and child protection. She recently attended a two-day training workshop in the use of rape kits which was sponsored by the British High Commissioner in collaboration with Lifeline Ministries and the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force. This was done to improve the collection of evidence from rape victims to preserve evidence and help bring perpetrators to justice.

Her internship at lifeline has given her hands-on practice in the practical social work field. The experience was a rich one that made her choice of study worth it.
Abigail Dorival-George is a teacher at the Christian Union Primary School, a position in which she has held for the past four years. In this role she has worked with special needs students with autism and Down syndrome for three years. Presently she assists in kindergarten class inclusive of special needs students.

Abigail holds an associate degree in Psychology from the Dominica State College and is presently pursuing BSc. in Social Work with the University of the West Indies. Abigail’s passion for working with children and vulnerable people, has led her to pursue a BSc. in Social Work.
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As part of her pursuit of a BSc. in Social Work she has been an intern at the Lifeline Ministries. At Lifeline she has gotten the hands on experience that has helped her in preparing for her career as a qualified social worker.
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Velma Moses-Joseph studied social work at the University of the West Indies and spent her last Social Work Practicum at Lifeline. She was and is the Director of the East Dominica Children’s Federation, a position she has held for over five years.  In this role, Velma coordinates, manages and leads a team providing services to children, youth, families and the community which endeavors to make a better life for those who are vulnerable, excluded and deprived. She is an advocate for the protection of the rights of children and her agency "East Fed" is, along with Lifeline, a founding member of the Dominica NGO Coalition for the Protection of Children and Youth. The Coalition's activity in 2015 and 2016 resulted in public outcry and legislative changes to improve protection for children.

Velma came to us with an associate degree in Social Work from the University of the West Indies and completed her BSc in Social Work with first class honours.  She has spent 20 years as a community social worker and a manager of a community based organization which advocates for children rights. Her internship at Lifeline was useful in that it provided both complex casework and managerial opportunities, practicing supervision with other students and administrative reform in terms of a more uniform assessment process. According to "Syndie" as she was affectionately known, she was given "a real life experience in the career of a social worker" and the staff and management of Lifeline Ministries created a rich opportunity for learning and putting into practice what was learned.