WHEN she lost her mother at the age of three and every relative, except her father, abandoned her, pent-up hurt and bewilderment moulded what Ericka Gilbert-Hope can only describe as “a misbehaving child”.

That downward spiral was mercifully halted when a kind-hearted principal decided to listen to the up-to-then-untold heartache driving the unruly teen when she landed in his hands after one of her usual bouts.

The experience of having one adult who was willing to listen was the defining moment that cemented a resolve in Gilbert-Hope to reach out to other children who display behaviours which set them apart negatively.

“Whilst in high school I was not the best-behaving child. One day I met the principal of the school and, based on his interactions with me when I got into trouble, he spoke to me in such a sympathetic way,and after I spoke to him I realised that there are really good people who care about people so I decided that’s where I wanted to go, because I wanted to be able to help children specifically,” Gilbert-Hope, who now heads the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Investigation Unit, told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview focusing on her career.

Over a 10-year stint as an administrator at the Ministry of National Security, Gilbert-Hope immersed herself in studies in guidance and counselling, and psychology at International University of the Caribbean, before transitioning to CPFSA as an investigator with only that goal in mind.

“I transitioned to the CPFSA because I specifically wanted something to do with children. I lost my mother when I was three years old. I can look back and say, based on the field I am in now, that I don’t believe that a child just gets up one day and decides I am going to be a misbehaving child,” Gilbert-Hope said.

“Whilst looking back I am saying just maybe it was as a result of losing my mother at such a tender age. I didn’t get any help — no counselling, nothing — and that is why I mentioned this principal who actually listened; for the first time someone listened.

“I decided that this is what I wanted to do, I wanted to be able to transform people’s lives and so I studied counselling and psychology,” she said.

That career shift has led the now-married mother of three down a path where she has dealt first-hand with the crushing experiences of some of Jamaica’s most traumatised children, but it is a path from which she hopes never to depart.

Some days she was brought to tears, but Gilbert-Hope soldiered on with one end in mind.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. When I started I went out and met children, especially those posing behavioural problems. I realised a lot of them just wanted someone to sit and listen to them. I saw them transformed before my very own eyes,” she told the Sunday Observer passionately.

It’s a different kind of fuel that drives another close to 40 individuals like her who staff the unit she heads.

“In order to do this kind of work you have to have a passion for it, a passion to see lives transformed; a lot of work, a lot of sleepless nights, but it’s worth it in the end. I stay because of the lives I am seeing transformed before my very eyes. I stayed because someone stayed for me. I said to someone the other day, ‘You have not given until you have given something you didn’t receive,’ ” Gilbert-Hope stated.

Asked to describe the worst case she encountered during her time as an investigator in the trenches, she replied: “There are so many.”

“The cases that really and truly burden me are the cases where children are being sexually molested by family members, especially immediate family members — fathers, grandfathers, persons within their households— very young children, five-year-olds and seven-year-olds. “Those cases will break you and bring you to tears, and we are seeing an increase in these kinds of cases,” she confided sombrely, her voice losing its vibrancy for the first time during the more than hour-long interview.

As much as she has studied psychology Gilbert-Hope is the first to confess that she has no idea what goes on in the minds of perpetrators, but she theorises that “lack of self-control” is a contributory factor to their deviant behaviour.

“I don’t know what is causing the lack of self-control but I believe it is one of the reasons for these kinds of behaviours. I don’t know what could lead an adult to want to have sexual intercourse with a five-year-old child. Also, I believe it has to be something with their mental capacity; they could not be normal persons, could not be. I would really want a survey to be done of these perpetrators to see what the reason is because it’s out of control right now,” she told the Sunday Observer.

The cry of Gilbert-Hope’s heart is to see parents fulfilling their role in their children’s lives. According to the investigation unit head, that disconnect is the reason most teens rebel.

“From where I sit I can tell you categorically that lack of parenting is one of the biggest problems. Parenting is a crisis in Jamaica; the children are being negatively impacted. One of the things that came out from a session I had with some children at a school is that they cannot speak with their parents; they do not have a relationship with their parents.

“So, they talk to the guidance counsellor, their friends, someone at church, and that leads to the reason some of them are not returning home. A lot of persons think that because they are children and they are not paying bills they should not have any problems — but they have problems they want to talk about,” she said.

“Parents have to listen to children; they have something to say. You don’t have to be rich for your child to have a rich childhood experience; you just have to be creative and involved,” she advised.

As for how both her and the team she leads cope after each day rescuing children who are often seen as lost causes she said, “I call my unit the trauma centre; it has impacted sometimes very negatively but I want to give credit to the CPFSA. There are debriefing sessions that are mandatory. We have had investigators who reported that as a result of a particular case they are not able to function in terms of taking care of their families at home, not being able to function in their capacity as a husband or wife or parent, so they have structured debriefing and you can continue with your counsellor until you are feeling better and are able to cope. As a unit we have a lot of recreational activities.”

As for Gilbert-Hope whose days begin at 5:30 am and can run up to as late as 10:00 pm, it is all about structure and planning.

“I have ‘me time’ but the me time that I have is structured. For example, every single day I exercise at least 30 minutes. I put aside time for my 17-year-old just to spend quality time. Me time is important and family time is important,” said Gilbert-Hope who also has two adult children.