Grace-Ann McFarlane has been appointed acting head of the much-anticipated Children’s Registry, effective today, the health ministry announced.

The appointment comes two years after the Child Care and Protection Act stipulated the creation of a children’s registry where the public can report instances of child abuse.

McFarlane, a Child Development Agency (CDA) director for the Southern region, will operate out of her current office in Mandeville, Manchester, pending the location of a new office for the registry, the release said.

Under section six of the Child Care and Protection Act, an offence is created if an individual fails to report to the Children’s Registry that a child is in need of care and protection, or that an offence has occurred.

Children’s Advocate Mary Clarke is among those who have called for the speedy creation of the registry as its absence slowed down full enforcement of the Act.

The release said McFarlane would spend a month recruiting and training staff in areas such as call centre operations and software usage.