Sadie Keating, the public servant best remembered for the sensational 2003 Keating Report that lifted the cover off the abuse of children and the horrible conditions in State homes and places of safety, died yesterday, aged 79, her family has confirmed.

“Sadie Keating, our beloved family member, left us in tears and disbelief this morning, November 5,” said Tina Mowatt-Reece, Keating’s niece, in a brief statement to the Jamaica Observer.

She expressed regret that in Keating’s final days family members could only speak to her via telephone and video calls, due to the restrictions regarding hospital visits.

Keating suffered a nasty fall at her St Andrew home last week Tuesday and was admitted to the Andrews Memorial Hospital, from where she was transferred to the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of the West Indies on Monday. She succumbed Friday morning after a series of strokes.

Keating, who was a public sector management specialist and retired civil servant, chaired the committee which was mandated by the P J Patterson Government to conduct a review of all children’s homes and places of safety, following several incidents that outraged the country at the time.

Keating led a four-member team which conducted assessments of Government-run and private children’s homes and places of safety and found, among other things, horrific cases of abuse, improper facilities and poor management.

She also assisted with the review of the 1997 National Children Policy, in preparation of a policy to reflect new and emerging issues in child rights, care and protection. One of the key outcomes of the Keating Report was enactment of the Child Care and Protection Act (2004).

The legislation makes the care and protection of Jamaica’s children the responsibility of every adult, particularly those who work closely with children, such as teachers, day care workers, doctors, nurses and guidance counsellors.

Keating, in her capacity as senior advisor to then Youth and Culture Minister Lisa Hanna, was again tapped to lead a review of her report, to fast-track some of the 40 recommendations which had still not been implemented 10 years later.

“Her report on children was far-reaching and instructive, and allowed us to make significant strides in meeting some of the goals of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” said Hanna.

Hanna recalled that Keating had given her vital guidance as a young minister of youth and culture, and eulogised her as a “seminal expert” and a great loss to Jamaica, saying the country owed her a debt of gratitude for the establishment of a Children’s Division in the Ministry of Youth, to develop policy advice for the Government.

Keating became Hanna’s advisor shortly after retiring as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mowatt-Reece remembered her aunt as the matriarch of the family, saying she was affectionately known as “Sweetheart” to family and close friends, an indication of the type of person she was.

“Though she was petite and queenly in posture, she could be quite the formidable giant when she became passionately adamant. She and her brothers and sisters had been very close since childhood and they are all extremely distressed at this time.

“In her final days some of us could only speak to her via telephone and video calls due to the restrictions regarding hospital visits. But we ensured she never felt alone. We sang, spoke and prayed with her, keeping vigil and giving each other words of comfort and hope,” said Mowatt-Reece.

She added: “We don’t know just yet how to picture life without Sweetheart physically present, but we know she now watches over each of us, freed from suffering and resting in the loving arms of our Most High God. We are grateful that we have each other to lean on during this very difficult time.”

Keating, who was predeceased by her husband, Kenneth, is survived by her son Dane Keating who resides in New York; daughter Deanne Keating Campbell of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCO); and grandchildren, Alejandro, Candace and Andrew.

Also surviving her are sisters Winsome Mowatt, retired Scotiabank senior manager; Paula Anderson, retired of Bank of Jamaica (BOJ); brothers Retired Justice Lloyd Hibbert; Earl Hibbert, retired of West Indies Glass; Phillip Hibbert, general manager of Restaurants of Jamaica; sisters-in-law Bridgette, Betty, Michelle, Amorley, and Carol; brother-in-law Leon Anderson; and a host of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, all affectionately known as the “fringe benefits”.