Rosalee Gage Grey, head of the CPFSA
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JASW President Jacqueline Bryan
By Racquel Porter
The Jamaica Association of Social Workers (JASW) says the mechanisms of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) need to be seriously analysed.
The association says this will lead to the relevant people being held accountable for the breach of trust, and the appearance of scape-goating will be put to rest.
Following the tabling of the report by the Office of the Children's Advocate on Tuesday in Parliament, there have been mounting calls for the head of the CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey to be sacked.
While staying clear of calling for her firing, the association of social workers noted that the breaches identified in the report are egregious and require swift action.
It also noted that social workers and others must be held to professional standards.
This, it notes, includes ensuring/enacting legislative and other regulatory frameworks.
In that regard, the association says the government has not yet taken interest in the regulation of social workers.
The leadership of the association says it is also awaiting a response to a proposal submitted to the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine in August 2021, for the council to become the regulatory body responsible for the enforcement of standards of professional practice for social workers in Jamaica.
It further noted that amendments are needed to the Child Care and Protection Act to allow for the Children's Registry to be used as a source for background checks to complement the use of the Sex Offender Registry.
The Association of Social Workers is also calling for mandatory background checks or other due diligence processes for both locals and foreign nationals who intend to have direct interactions with vulnerable groups including children.
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