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Human Services and Social Security Minister Priya Manickchand as she addressed media operatives yesterday.
Senior Manager failed to fulfill her duties – Minister Manickchand
By Gary Eleazar
The long awaited report that was commissioned by the Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand following the completion of the investigation related to murdered teen Neesa Lalita Gopaul was yesterday unveiled, and two of the agency’s employees have been fired.
The Minister yesterday explained and pointed out the many breaches of policy that occurred at the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) which in part led to the death of the 16-year-old Queen’s College student.
According to Manickchand, the investigation was aimed at determining whether there were any breaches in addressing the case; to determine the Officer(s) responsible for the breaches, if any; to identify gaps within the systems used by the CCPA; to determine areas which need to be strengthened/changed as well as to recommend corrective action necessary to improve the service delivered by the Agency.
MISSED COUNSELLING SESSIONS
Manickchand told media operatives that Gopaul’s case was first reported to the Agency on October 19, 2009, when she and a teacher from Queen’s College indicated that she was living in a difficult environment that was characterized by physical and drug abuse and by the threat of sexual abuse. A case officer was appointed.
She said that following investigations, Gopaul and her younger sister were removed from their home and placed in the care of their maternal grandparents.
The troubled teen began receiving counselling and the sessions continued for a few weeks.
“Not too long after the said placement, the grandparents refused to continue looking after Neesa and her sister and sent them back to their mother…The grandparents indicated the refusal of the mother of the children to give more than the $8000 per week for the upkeep of the children as their reason for sending the children back to their home.”
This she said was not communicated to any senior person in the Agency and the said reintegration was not approved by the Director, as is the established procedure.
Neesa Gopaul subsequently stopped attending the counseling sessions and when she was missed by the case worker, several checks were made at the home, but contact was refused.
It was stressed that the police were also involved but were skeptical to act in a more forceful approach in light of the tortured teen fiasco.
The police were ranks from the Leonora Station.
When contact was finally made by the case worker at Queen’s College, despite protests by the head teacher, Gopaul convinced the case officer that she was okay.
The name Neesa Gopaul resurfaced in the CCPA on August 24, 2010.
Manickchand explained that the Agency at that time received a report of alleged sexual abuse from a Social Worker working at a Hospital stationed in West Demerara and the matter was assigned to a second Child Care and Protection Officer.
According to Manickchand, after the first visit, the second case worker was told by the first officer that if she wanted to see Gopaul she had to visit the school.
“No effort was made to visit the school or to report the alleged abuse to the Police or to seek the help of any person/agency/authority in contacting Neesa…Neesa’s body was found shortly thereafter,” said Manickchand.
The Minister said that she found from both reports from the officers involved that the case workers did not follow the documented and/or established procedures for addressing matters that engaged the attention of the CCPA.
Failures
Manickchand conceded that the first case officer failed to report to her supervisor or the Director that Neesa had returned to her mother’s house and failed to report to any senior person that she was encountering difficulties contacting Neesa.
As it relates to the second case worker, she reported a complaint of sexual abuse to the police; she failed to make any intervention in a sexual violence complaint even after a whole month had elapsed; she failed to report to her supervisors that she was encountering difficulties contacting Neesa Gopaul; she also failed to take any appropriate and/or urgent action to allow for contact with Gopaul, despite being advised as to a viable means of meeting the complainant by visiting her school.
Manickchand also lambasted the failures of the CCPA’s former Operations Manager Diana Lawrence who by her own admission, according to Manickchand, failed to do obligatory and necessary daily management of the operations of the Agency, resulting in no proper supervision or follow-up of cases that had come to the attention of the Agency.
She said that over a six-month period, Lawrence had been written to in excess of three times about her failure to perform in the capacity in which she was hired and for her continuous absences.
Manickchand said that the Operations Manager failed to discharge the duties of her post which are specifically stated in her job description.
According to Manickchand, Lawrence failed to monitor the policies, standards and targets implemented for children’s services to ensure effectiveness; failed to evaluate monthly progress reports and statistical returns from subordinate officers; failed to assess training needs of professional staff and with the concurrence of the Director of Children Services, develop and execute programmes for human resource development, and failed to manage the operations of the agency so as to ensure its purpose (to protect children).
Manickchand said that Lawrence also had continued to render professional services to another company accepting remuneration without the permission of the Government, “despite being asked repeatedly to cease and desist from this unlawful practice.”
Manickchand said that it is also clear that supervisors in the Operations Department of the Agency did not show due diligence in following up on the cases assigned to the individual case workers in the Agency.
Remedial Actions
The Minister said that coming out of the investigations the first case officer’s probation will be extended while Lawrence and the other case worker will be dismissed.
Lawrence has already resigned, but according to Manickchand, the dismissal will affect her benefits.
Given the less than desired working conditions for the case officers there will be the immediate preparation of a building to house the Child Care and Protection Agency.
This process began prior to Neesa Gopaul’s murder and assurances have been given by the contractor that the building would be finished by the end of November, Manickchand revealed.
The Minister also said that there will be the immediate development and implementation of a Management Information System (MIS), specially designed for the CCPA.
She said that this process has already begun and some equipment has been acquired
Manickchand said too that there will be the immediate communication to teachers, head teachers and police officers, through the Ministries of Home Affairs and Education – their roles and responsibilities created under the new pieces of legislation as it relates to child abuse.
There will also be the increase in the complement of childcare and protection officers at the Agency.
The Minister emphasized that the Agency is not responsible for Neesa Gopaul’s death.
“The responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of those who did this fiendish act…Nevertheless, we share responsibility for not providing her with enough protection.
We share this responsibility with the police service and the education system and we share this responsibility with the family members of Neesa and the community where Neesa lived…None of us can be absolved.”
This is the first of three reports that are expected to be made public.
Those of the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Education are now due.
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