Over 840 children saved from family separation – CPA first quarter report

The Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) has recorded significant success during the first quarter of 2017.

Director of the agency, Ann Greene, told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the CPA was able to prevent the separation of 841 children from their

families by providing increased support and services to improve the role of their parents.

Greene explained that these children were on the verge of being removed from their families because of their home situation. She said the agency worked with the parents, some of whom were in the special parenting category, while others received assistance from the Social Protection Ministry’s safety net programme.

Greene elaborated that without the CPA intervention, those children would have been placed into institutional care. She noted that the children were able to stay at home with their families whilst they received services from CPA.

“These children would have had to be removed from their families because they were at risk, but they (children) were saved from being removed because the (parents) cooperated and were able to change some of the things that were creating the vulnerability for children at home,” Greene stated.

Additionally, during the first quarter, the CPA successfully installed the new visiting committee for children’s residential care institutions. The committee is a recognised body authorised to visit all established children’s homes and institutions. It consists of no less than 17 responsible citizens who will work with that committee for no more than three years.

The CPA director highlighted that there was the installation of new visiting committees for children’s residential care institutions. Further, an inspector of homes will be employed by the Ministry to work with the current 66 children’s home to get them up to minimum standards.  When the homes are up to standard, they will be issued operating licences, especially now that the Child Care and Development Service Act is in place.

The agency also managed to heighten its public awareness campaigns. Persons in Berbice, Essequibo and Bartica are among those benefiting from more information on child abuse via newspaper, television and radio advertisements and notices.