Latest update February 10th, 2025 7:48 AM
New direction on child placement in 2016 – CCPA Director
The Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) plans to place less focus on institutional care as an option for children rescued from abusive situations.
Head of the agency in a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA) explained that the CCPA in 2016 will pay particular attention, not only to supporting suitable alternatives when placement is necessary for children, but also working to support the de-institutionalisation of those children already in the system.
The latter objective will see particular emphasis being placed on building the capacity of the parents of these children to better take care of, and provide for their children. This is because most of the reported cases to the agency are that of neglect, Greene explained.
During this year, the agency has done much towards this goal of de-institutionalising care. In 2015, it provided assistance to over 7000 families and by doing so prevented approximately 2000 children from being separated from their families. This was done by providing the families with training, with respect to developing parental skills. The agency also provided assistance, such as those for basic living needs and purchasing schools supplies. Parents were also supported in acquiring skills training, and in finding employment, Greene said. “That is tangible support for parents, so we can prevent this unnecessary separation of children,” she noted.
Director of Child Care and Protection Agency, Ann Greene
But in terms of supporting placement for the children, institutionalisation has been the agency’s last resort, Greene pointed out. Focus has always been on placing the children in a family-like setting, with the first recourse being placement with a kinship. “If we can find a relative, we will place a child with a relative, if a relative is not available we would look in our core list of foster parents to see if a foster parent is available and then we would place the child in that because that is a family- based care, and that is what we would like for a child that must be placed in alternative care,” she explained.
Unfortunately a number of children had to be placed in institutions because of the non-availability of foster parents. Though not the best placement, residential institutions have been life savers for many children, Greene, noted, “But they are not the best institutional care and children should not stay long in an institution, if they do have to go because the experts say that after four months a child become institutionalised,” she added.
Meanwhile, the creation of more public awareness on the issue of child abuse and highlighting the need for communities to become part of the fight are also on the agency’s 2016 agenda.
“There is this notion of the Child Care and Protection Agency that we have the sole responsibility for children, we have to get rid of that, every adult it is your responsibility to protect a child,” she sated.
To this end, there will a national campaign, as well as more community consultations, Greene said, for the population to understand child abuse and its effects. Greene said that the agency is trying to adopt a changed approach, to get persons to regard children differently.
“No child deserves to be abused and child abuse is not just the responsibility of child care agency. It is the responsibility of every adult,” she reiterated.
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