CDA admits deficiencies in its operations

Releases report on Baby Jeshrun

Friday, February 03, 2012

THE Child Development Agency (CDA) has admitted to deficiencies in its operations in a report on the agency's handling of the report on Baby Jeshrun, the child whose body was found inside a suitcase in his parents' home on Clifton Road in Kingston last month.

Residents had made an outcry that the agency had been tardy in responding to reports from concerned residents leading the CDA to investigate itself.

The CDA admitted receiving a report about the child on December 19 last year, and the case was assigned the following day to the manager of the Investigation Unit who categorised it as 'medium' risk.

The manager reportedly went on leave within a seven-day time frame, when initial contact should have been made, and the case was not reassigned to one of the two investigation officers who were available, the CDA said in its report.

"The Agency has identified a number of systemic gaps and flaws within the existing

protocol, which resulted in the delay in action being taken regarding this case," the report stated.

Below are the deficiencies identified in the system:

The Investigative Protocol (IP) does not provide for the delegation of

responsibility for cases in the event of illness of the assigned investigator;

The IP does not provide for the appropriate and timely delegation of cases in

the event of any emergency such as decreased resource officers

The IP does not address issues of case management in an environment of limited resources;

Communication; and

A breach of the practice in relation to the seven-day time limit set for first contact in cases assessed as medium risk.

"The Agency recognises the need to tighten internal controls relating to ‘handing over’ procedures in the event of emergencies, by including mandatory hand-off procedures as part of the protocol, thus eliminating the possibility of human oversight," the report stated.

The agency reported that a strong warning has been issued to the Investigations Unit and promised to amend the protocol to reflect appropriate guidelines for the reassignment and delegation of responsibility for cases.

The agency also plans to put staff of that unit through intensive re-orientation and re-training next month and an additional oversight has been put in place to ensure that the situation does not recur.