Jamaicans for Justice has conducted an evaluation of monthly monitoring reports of children’s homes across the island for the years 2005 and 2006. This review is an addendum to the Summary Report on the Status of Children’s Homes presented to the Commission in February 2006. This review was initiated by way of applications under the Access to Information Act, providing us with the opportunity to follow up on the implementation of the Keating Report and the provisions of the Child Care and Protection Act, 2004.
Jamaicans for Justice believes that the process of evaluation and the monitoring reports developed by the Child Development Agency [CDA] to ensure the safety and well being of the children in the custody of the Jamaican government, are not sufficiently guaranteeing that the children in care are being provided with the highest quality of care and treatment. Our findings have shown inefficiency and inadequacy of the monitoring system that ultimately lends to a lack of follow-up or corrective action for issues being faced within the homes. Also, there are inherent problems with the reporting process that derives from the lack of depth and breadth accompanying the prescribed monitoring report and process. Though the CDA has made great strides to improve the process in which the monitoring of Children’s Homes in Jamaica is administered, much improvement is needed in terms of the evaluation of the safety and well being of all of the children in the care of the government.
This data analysis will be reported as a summary of the findings from the monthly monitoring reports of the regional monitoring officers employed to the CDA. The analysis in regards to the problems being found within the monitoring system outlines:
- Problems inherent in the reporting process
- Negligence of ward contentment in the reporting process
- Unprofessional treatment of report forms
- Evidence of inefficiency of the monitoring process
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Specific cases of inadequacy of the monitoring system
©Jamaicans for Justice
