IF you have ever wondered about the type of cases that are brought to the attention of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), here are some examples. Last week a mother put her two children out on the street while a young man, of undetermined age, was brought before the courts on a ‘possession of narcotics’ charge. Meanwhile, on another note, a concerned father took a plane from Canada to Guyana with regard to his nine- year- old son and an unrelated domestic violence dispute happened to take an interesting twist.

In addition to these four cases, over 60 other new cases from different regions of Guyana were referred, facilitated and dealt with by CPA officers at the agency during the past week. If you would like to hear the outcome of the four above-mentioned, read on.

The CPA rescues children who are at risk, and cares for those who have been abused, neglected and abandoned, in order to protect them from further danger. There is a steady flow of cases that come into the agency every day; each one is assessed, recorded and distributed to the relevant team leaders for investigation.

Last week, when a mother physically abused her two small children and put them out of the house, concerned citizens brought the children to the CPA. Immediately, an investigation was launched to find the mother and other family members, so that a clearer picture could be established pertaining to the overall safety of the children.

The mother, who was eventually located and interviewed by a CPA officer, was nonchalant towards the whole situation. It was therefore determined by senior staff, that leaving the children with their mother was clearly putting them at risk: they were therefore placed with a family member while a thorough assessment of their circumstances could be carried out.
The CPA works alongside families to ensure that parents are given the opportunity to learn new parenting skills in order to keep families together. Some families gladly cooperate for the sake of their children, while others do not take kindly to any type of assistance, advice or change.

A mother of three fled her marital home with two of her children after being physically attacked by her husband. When the matter was reported to the CPA, the safety of the children in her care was of paramount concern. The woman, when eventually found, agreed to meet with officers but did not want her husband present at the meeting: however, after a while, she hesitantly agreed for her husband to attend.

The officer who worked on this case explained, ‘even when we intervene we just don’t look at the negative factors of the case presented to us: we look for what is positive and what we could work with. We found two caring parents who take pride in their home and family; yet there were issues of miscommunication that had caused discord and violence from both parties.’

When children witness domestic violence, the long-term effect on their development and future relationships can be detrimental. In this case, the parents engaged in meaningful discourse with the CPA officer and decided to stay apart for the time being. In addition, the father made a request to be counselled, alongside his wife.

At the CPA the legal officer is kept on her toes dealing with several children’s cases. Where there are allegations of child abuse, the child must be removed from that environment; and where there are safety measures put in place, and families have attended skills training and counselling sessions, a child who may have been physically abused should be considered for reunification. All these matters have to pass before a court and there is a lot of paperwork involved. Likewise, when a young person is charged with an offence, the CPA may be asked to intervene for various reasons.

In the case where a child’s birth was never registered, the legal officer explained, ‘Due to information received, it was established that the young offender in question was about 16 years old… it is therefore our duty to furnish the DPP with all the legal requirements for his case to be tried under the Juvenile Act, which includes providing a birth certificate and various evaluations and reports.’

Our final case concerns a father in Canada who was unhappy with the reports he received from his Guyana-based family in relation to his nine- year-old son. His family felt the boy was not benefitting from the money he was sending for his son’s upkeep and so urged him to contact the CPA. The father not only contacted the agency and spoke to CPA staff, he went one better and flew to Guyana to meet with CPA officers and to see his son. At first, the mother was very uncooperative and did not want to meet at the agency to discuss their child. However she eventually attended a meeting where, with a little guidance, they were able to iron out some problems to the extent where the father was given access to his son that very day. He was able to spend time with the boy and take him to and from school for a week, to his heart’s content.

CPA officers work assiduously to protect children from harm and in cases of abuse, to help children get back on track.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MNISTRY OF SOCIAL PROTECTION