The Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) has recorded an increase in the number of children placed in both permanent and temporary homes, as was related by the Director of the Agency, Ann Greene during an interview.
The CCPA’s Year-in-Review notes that a total of 175 children were placed in foster homes with 117 foster parents, while 80 children were able to spend the holidays in the warmth of their new adopted families’ homes.
According to the childcare arm of the Social Protection Ministry, 51 domestic or local persons, 18 Guyanese living abroad and 11 international or non-Guyanese
CCPA Director Ann Greene
adopted the children.
These numbers, Director Greene said, were higher when compared to last year’s figures. Although she did not provide Guyana Times with the figures for the previous year, Greene noted that the significant increases were achieved because the adoption process flowed more swiftly this year with the aid of the Child Court and additional laws.
Important to note also is that this year, more children were placed in institutional care.
The Agency also outlined in its year-in-review that it managed to increase partnerships at the community level with key stakeholders, including the Guyana Police Force, teachers, public health workers, Non-Governmental Organisations and community groups such as faith-based organisations for social network support for vulnerable families.
The CCPA said the work of child protection was not done in isolation, and communities must take responsibility for keeping children safe. Community-based initiatives and parenting programmes are known to be effective in strengthening the functioning of parents and enhancing the growth and development of children.
The Agency’s report stated that it “formally met with the religious groups in February to establish partnership, since the religious community has more access to the family and the leaders can serve as an important channel of communication for social change and transformation. As a result, a number has registered to be part of our Prevent Child Abuse Action Groups at the community level providing after-school support and empowerment for children and assisting with education and training for parents”.
Another important achievement was the intensification of the National Multimedia Awareness Child Abuse Campaign, which was made possible through new communication methods and channels for reporting. As part of its achievement, persons can now make child abuse complaints via social media.
