…CPFSA tried to separate wards before pregnancy

THE Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) has confirmed that a 16-year-old ward of the State has been impregnated by another ward while in its care, noting that the agency had implemented several unsuccessful preventative measures to keep the two apart. The revelation comes amid concerns from the teen’s aunt, whose name is being withheld to protect the child, who complained about a lack of communication from the CPFSA regarding her niece’s pregnancy, movements between childcare facilities, and the teen’s arrest while in State care. In a detailed response to questions from the Jamaica Observer, the agency said the facility’s management at Maxfield Park Children’s Home in the Corporate Area had identified the developing relationship between the 16-year-old and the male ward, who is also 16 years old, but both teenagers repeatedly denied that they were involved. “Subsequently, various control measures were put in place to keep them separated and specially supervised while on property. Both wards were consistently defiant of these measures. At the time [the teen’s] pregnancy was discovered, arrangements were already being made to transfer the male ward to another facility as part of broader efforts to separate them,” the agency said in its response. The agency said separation efforts were still ongoing when the pregnancy was discovered on July 6, 2026. According to the agency, the pregnancy was discovered after the teen girl told a staff member that she was concerned she might be pregnant because she had missed her menstrual period. The teen was reportedly taken to the facility’s clinic and a doctor confirmed the pregnancy. The CPFSA told the Sunday Observer the matter was also reported to the police, and the teen girl was taken to the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) for an assessment. “CISOCA advised that [the teen] was over 16 years old at the time of conception and indicated that, based on the information she provided, the relationship was consensual. As such, there was no further action they could pursue in relation to a sexual offence investigation at that time,” said the agency. The aunt and another family member were reportedly notified of the pregnancy on July 10, 2026 during a meeting with the teen’s caseworker at the CPFSA’s Kingston office. According to the agency, the option was provided for the aunt to take the teen into her custody, but the aunt refused. They said the aunt was then informed that the teen would be transferred as her current facility was not equipped to handle pregnant teens. In relation to the teen’s arrest charges, the agency said the 16-year-old was arrested on September 7 for reasonable suspicion of unlawful wounding at the Irwin Police Post. The agency said the teen’s grandmother and aunt were contacted by the police to be present when the teen gave her statement. According to the CPFSA, it was not until the following day, September 8, that its officers were informed that an adult was needed to collect a statement from the teen. They said once informed, a team from the agency travelled to Cambridge Police Station to assess the teen’s care and well-being, provide emotional support, and offer practical assistance in the form of a care package. The agency further confirmed that it was in receipt of a letter sent by the aunt, outlining her concerns about her niece’s well-being. However, the letter was not signed. The agency said the aunt had a scheduled meeting with the agency on September 8 to facilitate a discussion with her and allow the agency to begin formally processing the complaint and have the letter signed, but the aunt did not show up. According to the CPFSA, a signature was needed to begin formally processing the complaint. The response to the Sunday Observer went on to state that on September 9, the teen was charged in the presence of a CPFSA officer. The matter was brought before the St James Family Court on the same date, where the judge remanded the teen to a Department of Correctional Services (DCS) facility in Kingston, where she is currently. “If the teen is returned to the care of the agency, by a decision via the courts, the CPFSA will continue to work with [the aunt], and any other interested family members, in the best interest of [the teen’s] well-being,” said the CPFSA. The child protection agency further sought to clarify that [the aunt] is not the teen’s legal guardian. According to the agency, the teen came under the care of the CPFSA through a Fit Person Order on December 15, 2025. “Through the CPFSA’s Kinship Foster Care Programme, she [the 16-year-old] was placed to reside with her maternal aunt...The placement with her aunt subsequently broke down due to challenges in their relationship. Following an incident which occurred while she was under her aunt’s supervision on February 1, 2026, the aunt refused to accept [the teen] back into her care, and as such she was placed in institutional care at the Maxfield Park Children’s Home,” said the agency. According to the CPFSA, while there is no law mandating the agency to update family members who are not legal guardians of wards within a given time frame, it is the practice of the agency to keep primary family members as up to date as possible with the movements and activities of their child and important life updates. “Depending on the type or importance of the update, our officers may contact family members immediately or may wait for scheduled appointments or meetings with the family members to share, such as at a CPFSA case conference. “The [teen’s] aunt had not yet been updated by the agency of her transfer to the facility in St James when the police notified her directly of [the teen’s] arrest, which was done before they contacted the agency regarding the same, as the teen’s aunt had not expressed interest in assisting with her care when she was informed that [the 16-year-old] could not stay at the facility in Kingston because of her pregnancy. The update on her transfer to the maternal facility was slated to be shared at her next CPFSA case conference,” the CPFSA sought to explain. The agency added that attempts were made to inform the aunt of the outcome of the matter before the court regarding the teen being transferred into the care of DCS, but they were unsuccessful.