Childcare Protection Agency hosts annual staff conference

DPI Guyana, Wednesday, December 13, 2017

The staff of the Ministry of Social Protection Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) were on Wednesday, honoured for their hard work and dedication at their agency’s annual staff conference.  The annual year-end activity provided the agency an opportunity to reflect on its achievements and challenges for 2017 and set the tone for the new year.

The event was hosted today at the at Parc Rayne, Rahaman’s Park, East Bank Public Road, under the theme ‘Diligent, commitment, aggressive case management to improve service delivery.’

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott commended the staff for their efforts. “You have done a wonderful job and my hope is that for the new year you will be able to be more resolved and you will understand the full meaning of the word vocation; in that your job is really a calling and those of you who understand that, will have lifelong satisfaction in being able to see your accomplishments each day as you go to work”, Minister Scott told the staff.

Minister Scott noted that persons must understand that they have a role to play, not only as educators or social protection agents, but as citizens. “We have got to reclaim that feeling that as villagers, this global village, we have got to look out for those children…What happened is that we have taken the ‘care’ out of ‘childcare’ and we are going to put it back”, Keith Scott stressed.

Minister Scott noted that in moving forward, parents must also be given support that will see them providing that necessary guidance to their child/children.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Protection, Lorene Baird told the staff that even as they celebrate, the opportunity should be used to critically review their actions over the past year and plan for the next.

Baird observed that the importance of childcare cannot be over emphasised – children need protection, they need care and they need to be loved and nurtured, if they are going to grow up and be somebody. She noted that institutions like the CPA have a critical role to play in ensuring these children reach their full potential.

Baird applauded the CPA for its work in 2017 but noted that much more needs to be done in the coming years to protect the country’s children.  She also said that the agencies alone cannot do it, and urged stakeholders to get on board.

Staff members received prizes for the Staff of the year (officer), the Staff of the year (auxiliary staff) and most improved staff.

 

By: Synieka Thorne