ABSTRACT
The perceptions of 14–16-year-olds from the Caribbean on the impact of parent migration on their educational and emotional well-being are revealed in this chapter. It speaks directly from the voices of children who have had immediate and recent experience with this phenomenon. Little has been published about children without family to lean on from the Caribbean. While many developed countries have devised support systems for children without family, like foster carers, such systems are almost non-existent in the Caribbean. Children are generally left in the care of relatives and it is only when they are listened to that we realize the significant absence of what they believe to be a sound support system in the form of family to lean on. This particular work is distinguished by the outlet it provides for the voice of children from the Eastern Caribbean - St. Lucia. It bridges the gap in addressing social challenges faced on the small island developing state of St. Lucia, a microcosm of the Caribbean region – due to parent migration. This has been a long-standing situation which is somewhat normalized and often considered as part of the fabric of the Caribbean. The chapter discusses the physical and psychological absence of parents and the impact on adolescents. It focuses on two aspects which are undoubtedly important for young people to have a positive experience during childhood, while transitioning to adulthood – education and emotional well-being
