Dear colleagues, 

Yesterday a small group of us gathered at the Muirton RCCF in gorgeous Manchioneal, Portland to take part in a ceremony of gigantic proportions –

The Wall of Love.

In this second installment of the therapeutic exercise, boys (and staff!) destroyed the old hateful words that had encumbered them and together created a monument to loving words that build, not destroy. See below for some pictorial highlights and look out for more on social media.

I want to thank all who participated, including:
– the Muirton Boys, who were on their best behaviour :-);

– Mrs. Walker, and the team at Muirton, who worked tirelessly on the ground to make this day happen

– those CPFSA regional team members who traveled from across the 3 parishes to join the celebration and who helped in various ways to make it happen, including Actg Regional Director, Mrs. Corrodus, Team Leader, Mrs. Hood, Children’s Officer, Ms. Wallace, Monitoring officer, Mrs Roache-Campbell;

– the FMAS team, who worked with us (and will continue to work with us :-)) to make the funding possible;

– Ms. Dixon, PR officer, who arranged for media coverage (look for the Wall of Love in the media soon!);

– Miss Budhi, our illustrious supervisor and her assistant Mrs Rose who made sure critical elements were in place for accommodations and funding, among other things;

– and last, but not least, members of the Psychology Unit – those who trekked from the far-flung corners of the island to execute this event, (Mrs. Feare-Sterling, Ms Smith, Ms Tomlinson), and those who worked on the project even though they couldn’t be there (Ms Mcpherson) and Mr. Crooks, MMHU driver.

Special thanks to Team Leader Ms Forbes whose continual support was invaluable in moving this event from conception to completion.

Let me also pause to say thanks to the team at the Portland office (including Miss Barton and Miss Wallace) who went beyond the call of duty to assist with this occasion.

And to anyone else whom I haven’t mentioned specifically – Thank you for your help!

THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN! 

Melody Samuels.

CPFSA…..Protecting Children, Empowering Families, Securing the Future.

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), formed out of a merger of the Child Development Agency and the Office of Children’s Registry,  is a leader in Jamaica’s child protection system, with a combined legacy reputation for our work in promoting child-friendly policies and ground-breaking programmes to strengthen families. The CPFSA is under the purview of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and works collaboratively with the OCA, the JCF, and other government agencies..

In carrying out its mandate, the agency:

• Provides intake, receives reports, and manages the Child Abuse Registry
• Investigates reports of child abuse, abandonment and neglect to determine the best interest of the child which supports the Courts and the Police;
• Provides support to children in need of care and protection (those who have been, abused, abandoned, neglected or vulnerable due to disability);
• Carries out advocacy/public education programmes to prevent child abuse;
• Provides quality care for children who are brought into the care of the State (those who live in children’s homes and places of safety).
• Provides support for famiiires
• Advises government on policy and legal issues relating to children.

The agency’s staff members are spread across our corporate office located in Kingston,  regional offices and 14  parish offices as well as child care facilities.  Our team of social workers, investigators, intake officers, and others M maintain an active schedule in serving children and families as part of the effort to restore the fabric of the Jamaican family and empower children to achieve their highest potential.