In wake of COVID-19 pandemic…Child Care & Protection Agency records spike in cases of children in ‘difficult circumstances’

Jun 22, 2020 News

Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA), Ann Green says that the Agency has recorded an increase in reports regarding children in “difficult situations.”
She has indicated that the current pandemic, that has put a strain on some families, and the closure of schools are causing this increase.

Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA),
Ann Green

“The phones have been ringing off the hook, we are getting so many reports of children in difficult situations, some in need of food, some in bad living conditions, some are being abused,” Green said.
“I do not want to give you a figure for abused cases because we need to properly analyse our data. There is an increase in reports but the information received is general, persons have been using our hotlines to call and report that they do not have food to feed their children, etc, and we are helping but in terms of abused cases I cannot give you a direct figure right now.”
Green went on to say that “at this point our entire system is not in operation because most of our abuse cases come through the schools and with schools being closed we are not getting reports through that avenue. Also, we must remember that a lot of children are abused in their homes so they may be with their abusers due to the Covid-19 situation.”
The Director further noted that the covid-19 pandemic has created a “frustrating and stressful” situation because children that are being moved from their homes have to undergo the covid-19 measures and procedures before they can be relocated or placed elsewhere.
“Only last week we removed six children and this week we removed more than six again … but we have to put these children in quarantine before we can put them into homes,” she said.
There has also been an increase in domestic violence cases world-wide in the wake of the pandemic. Coordinator of the Men’s Health Unit within the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Dennis Bassier had suggested that one of the main factors for this was the “amount of time that couples are now spending with each other due to the Covid-19 lockdown situation.”
He added that many individuals are facing financial strain, frustration, and pressure from being with their children and even each other on a 24 hour basis.
He had recommended couple and family therapy as a means of coping.

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