CPFSA To Host Field Services Conference Dec. 2-3

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) will host its annual Field Services Conference from December 2-3.

More than 200 of the agency’s field officers assigned to the Regions across the island are expected to participate in the two-day virtual conference.

Alternate Care Services Director, CPFSA, Eunice Scott Shaw, told JIS News that the conference will be held under the theme ‘Back to Basics’ and will be used to look at what the CPFSA does in areas such as investigation, adoption, foster care, children and family services and case management.

“It will be used to hone the skills of our field officers, so they can be more effective in their response to children in need of care and protection,” she said.

Areas of focus for the conference include analysing and equipping field staff to respond to the needs of children to meet the goals and objectives of the National Plan of Action for an Integrated Response to Children and Violence (NPACV); developing innovative techniques to enable field staff to better identify and respond to children’s issues; understanding the roles and responsibilities of the Agency as it relates to multi-agency programmes, such as the Child Diversion Programme, the NPACV and National Taskforce Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP); and improving screening techniques and responsive interventions to treat children in State care with mental issues.

The highlight of the opening session will be the presentation of 80 laptops from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to the CPFSA. The donation is geared at enhancing the agency’s information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure.