A resident points to the area where an abandoned two-year-old baby girl was found. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

THREAT OF prosecution under the Child Care and Protection Act may be dissuading more parents from abandoning their children.

The Child Development Agency (CDA) reports a fall in the number of children abandoned in 2008 over 2007. In 2008, 29 children were abandoned by their caregivers, compared to 40 for the comparative period in 2007.

Audrey Budai, director for policy planning and evaluation at the CDA, says, "We cannot call it a pattern, but in 2008, there was a very good collaborative effort with the Office of the Children's Advocate where we pursued an awareness programme of the Child Care and Protection Act.

"The Office of the Children's Advocate went right across the island with the CDA and in November, there was also a deep focus on parenting.

"In 2008, we also partnered with the Jamaica Foundation for Children to go into the communities where we focused more on preventative measures as part of a progressive strategy," says Budai.

She adds that with the coming on stream of a children's registry, a great deal of awareness is also building.

She also believes that the expansion of the social safety-net programme, PATH, has resulted in "a concerted drive to reach the poorest of the poor", an activity which has benefited parents who face extreme economic challenges in caring for their children.

Referring to the decline in abandonment figures, she said, "We are planning to track the trend and see what will be the outcome."

possible reason for reduction

Children's Advocate Mary Clarke also believes that the reduction in the number of abandoned children last year can be attributed to greater awareness of the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA) and the consequences one may face if caught.

"The Office of the Children's Advocate endeavours to reach a variety of stakeholders and last year, we engaged in discussions with members of the religious community across the island on issues affecting children and their parents and how the church organisations can help to promote the CCPA," says Clarke.

The police receives most of the reports of abandonment and communicates same to the CDA, which places the child in a temporary holding facility (place of safety) while efforts are made to locate the parents.

When every possible means of locating the family is exhausted, the child is taken to court and the court issues a Fit Person Order for the child to be placed in the formal care and protection system (children's home), foster care or adoption.

According to the CDA, if the family is located and there is sufficient reason to believe that the child's best interests will be served by placing him or her with the parent(s) or relative(s), the CDA may recommend that the court issue a Supervision Order (placing the family under the periodic supervision of a Children's Officer).

The CDA reports that some abandoned children are adopted, while others are placed with relatives on Supervision Order.

Of the cases occurring in 2007 and 2008, some of the children are living in children's homes while the CDA arranges foster care or adoption by interested parties. Other cases are still pending before the courts.