The Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, in partnership with the Caribbean Child Support Initiative, (CCSI), a regional integrated programme, funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF), developed the Caribbean Internship Project (CIP) in 2004 to contribute to CCSI’s efforts in strengthening the care environment for young children and their families. The CIP receives its core funding from the Bernard Van Leer Foundation (BvLF) with counterpart funding and support from Mona, St. Augustine and Cave Hill campuses of the University of the West Indies. The Environment Foundation of Jamaica also committed to counterpart funding in the past.

The Caribbean Child Support Initiative (CCSI) is an early childhood development and family support programme aimed at strengthening the care environment for young children. The CCSI is an intermediary resource programme with a sub-regional thrust to effectively introduce relevant interactive support models for parents and their young children in the Eastern Caribbean, expand the knowledge base on child upbringing practices and create an advocacy movement that would mainstream effective practices.

CCSI was launched in 2002 against the background of the Caribbean Plan of Action (CPOA) and the BVLF Strategic Plan 2002 - 2006 due to the strong correlation between the two. The first phase of the programme (2002-2006) was characterised by an evolving design and learning. However, during this second and final phase (2007-2011), there has been and will continue to be “a paradigm shift toward institutionalisation”. CCSI is increasingly focused on positioning its programming activities to be on a more sustainable footing by attempting to persuade regional actors of the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of providing family support services. Sustainability (both financial and operational) is therefore integrally linked to successful institutionalisation- namely, ensuring the survival of concepts and methodologies like the Caribbean Internship Project.