520 children placed in state care in 2014

Jan 04, 2015 News

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…CPA received over 2000 child abuse reports by September

In one year, there were approximately 520 children for whom the State had to find alternative care besides their homes. At the same time a whopping 1,448 children were prevented from being separated from their families through timely intervention from the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) of the Minister of Human Services and Social Security.
Additionally, by September last year, there were 2,181 reports of child abuse thus far in the year, according to Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster.
Last year, the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), headed by Ann Green was celebrating five years as an agency. It had achieved much, having focused mainly on increased inter-professional and inter-agency collaboration in the provision of services for vulnerable children across Guyana, and family assistance and support to reduce the number of children in need of alternative care during the year 2014.
As Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, reported on the works of the CPA last year. She explained that separation of children from their biological families was done as a last resort.
She said that in spite of the best efforts, there were approximately 520 children for whom the state had to find alternative care besides the home last year. The CPA was able to provide parental education to 3,153 vulnerable families.
Webster said that at the end of last year there were more than 800 children in residential care, with approximately 250 in State care centres. The others are in 19 privately managed children’s homes and orphanages to which the CPA does the gate keeping.
Guyana’s laws, the Minister explained, specify the mandate of the CPA, so no child can be admitted into any institutional home, without the prior approval of the agency.
“The agency continued to operate its 24-hour hotline services and by the end of September, it had placed 262 in alternative care arrangements,” she explained.  The report provided statistics on cases involving sexual, physical and verbal abuse along with those where children were abandoned and neglected. The cases recorded for this period represent both sexes.
Among those currently in state care in institutions across the country are children who were neglected, who faced other forms of abuse and young females who played victim to human trafficking.

Adoption
Webster reported that the CPA facilitates the adoption process through the maintenance of the Adoption Board.  She said that for 2014 a total of 153 applications were made for adoption of which 121 were presented to the board for approval.
“Five cases were denied and one case is pending. There were 58 cases of domestic adoption, 48 cases of Guyanese living abroad and 14 with international non-Guyanese,” the Minister reported.
All adoption processes, she explained, are finalized through the High Court.

Foster Care
Government through CPA has been promoting foster care, Webster said.
‘Foster care’ is the term used for a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver referred to as a “foster parent”. In other words, foster care is full-time substitute care of children outside their own home by people other than their biological or adoptive parents or legal guardians.
The placement of the child is usually arranged through the government or a social-service agency like CPA. Minister Webster reported that there are currently 203 children in that programme.
This year, she said, training was provided to 45 new parents and this was done together with the 126 other standing foster parents who are found in the communities of Linden, Georgetown, and East and West Coast Berbice.
“The CPA also partners with a Non-Governmental Organisation (Child Link) to provide training to families in the area of parenting and also that work together to achieve parental skills. This training is in preparation for the re-unification for children that includes 20 children who are identified and awaiting this progress with their biological parents.”
Webster went on to say that the interventions have been timely and the agency is making progress in working with families as it continues to advocate and support strong families and good family life. She said, “To facilitate permanency plans for children in foster care where it is not possible for children to be returned with their biological parents, nine cases were referred for adoption.”
Additionally, the Minister said that efforts were also made for children to visit parents who were incarcerated. The CPA also sought to improve the skills of persons who have aged out of foster care so that they can gain employment.

Halfway Home
She also reported that the Halfway Home, located at Sophia, Greater Georgetown was completed this year.
That facility is meant for children who were in institutional care and who have attained the age of 17 to be relocated there to help them to achieve a certain amount of independence.
Ultimately, as they become adults they would be able to go on their own and be able to manage independently, the Minister said. The law provides a specific age for children to live in institutional care and the halfway home is a mechanism to help them to age out.
She reported that there are some who have done exceedingly well at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations. According to Webster, they are now pursuing higher studies with one undertaking Computer Studies at the University of Guyana (UG) and another pursuing a teacher’s certificate.

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