Green to appoint Board of Visitors for Children's facilities

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green, is to appoint an advisory council and boards of visitors for residential childcare facilities, following the completion of a strategic review of state facilities by a private consultancy earlier this year.

Green noted that following his review of the recommendations highlighted in the report, the ministry cited the need for urgent intervention in the residential childcare sector, in particular the monitoring process and actions taken in relation to critical incidents in state facilities.

"The advisory council, as envisioned by the regulations to the Child Care and Protection Act, will provide a significant layer of oversight to ensure accountability in residential care and ultimately to raise the standards of care for our children," Green said. "It will also be positioned to provide the ministers and our Child Protection Agency (CPFSA) with strategic advice as we meet the needs of children who are housed at our childcare facilities."

Green added that recommendations were accepted for the re-establishment of boards of visitors for residential childcare facilities, as part of a crisis prevention and intervention model.

"Unlike the first model where visitors were appointed for each parish, we are seeking to ensure that every home has a board of visitors who will make announced and unannounced visits to the facilities and file reports. This is to reinforce accountability in light of recent critical incidents," he explained.

Individuals on the board of visitors will be appointed for two-year terms.

Persons interested in serving on the board of visitors are being asked to contact the

Child Protection and Family Services Agency by calling 876-967-1614 or email info@child

protection.gov.jm.