PHILIPSBURG-- The government must invest in more employees and a digital registration system to make the Central Reporting Point for child abuse (Centraal Meldpunt Kindermishandeling (CMK) more efficient, a report by Bachelor student Suehaely Heerenveen stated.

She also recommends setting procedures for all reports made.

 

Heerenveen, who recently completed an internship with the Court of Guardianship as part of her law degree, presented her report titled: Stop Child Abuse – a closing approach to child abuse on St. Maarten. She researched the subject as requested by, and under supervision of Richelda Emmanuel, the director of the Court of Guardianship.

 

Heerenveen researched how reporting procedures and procedures in dealing with child abuse can be regulated in a way that they comply with the legal requirements placed upon the Court of Guardianship. Earlier this year an ordinance was put in place which ordered the Court of Guardianship to instate a Central Reporting Point for child abuse (Centraal Meldpunt Kindermishandeling (CMK), so that all reports go through the Court of Guardianship to be regulated and dealt with.

 

In the current system, the Court of Guardianship receives just a few reports, but doesn’t as yet function as a central point. On January 9, 2014, the Court of Guardianship received the authority to act as CMK. As part of this a national protocol is scheduled to be established so that reports of child abuse can be better regulated, and so that every organisation is aware of the CMK.

 

Heerenveen states that a shortage of staff and the lack of a digital registration system need to be addressed, and further advises closer cooperation with other organisations who are involved with reporting of child abuse, such as schools, the police, the Prosecutor’s Office, medical practitioners and the Foundation Judiciary Institutes Windward Islands, amongst other entities.

 

The current procedure is not efficient, she stated. In intake consultations, a form is filled out which has insufficient details about the circumstances and the origin of the report. A full case-file has to be read before a report can be dealt with. Heerenveen advises to use the more extensive form of the Dutch General Reporting Point for Child abuse (Algemeen Meldpunt Kindermishandeling, AMK) as an example.

 

She also noticed that not all social workers adhere to the same procedure. This can be confusing for both clients and colleagues. She recommends instating a common procedure.

 

A digital registration system for all reports would be advisable, which she states, would have a positive effect on work pressure, and would facilitate an easy transfer from one person to another. As an example, she points to the digital registration system used on Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. The benefit would be that relevant organisations have a better overview of reports and their content.

 

Heerenveen makes it clear, however, that instating a digital registration system is insufficient to achieve a more effective procedure. The Prosecutors Office has noticed that the Court of Guardianship is not always capable of supporting a child due to a lack of staff.

 

She recommends that the government must prioritise investing in more social workers, child behavioural experts and doctors to increase the quality of service when it comes to child abuse.

 

Director of the Court of Guardianship Richelda Emmanuel thanked Heerenveen for her research and her report, which will contribute to the further reorganisation process of the Court of Guardianship. This process began in 2013 with the appointment of Emmanuel as current director.

 

Emmanuel said that the report will be presented to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Education. Currently the two ministries are finalising a national guideline on the response to child abuse. This document will be presented to the Council of Ministers and to the general public after the summer recess.

 

Consultation with the different stakeholders has also begun which will lead to the design of protocols on how to deal with reports of child abuse which each stakeholder will adhere to.

 

(TheDaily Herald)