Human Services Defends Child Removal Procedure

Child neglect continues to be the biggest reason Belizean children end up in the care of the Department of Human Services, and the Belize District leads those numbers. Whenever a child is believed to be living in an unsafe environment, whether it’s neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse, the department follows a strict process before any removal takes place. Most of these cases start with a tip from a relative, a teacher, a doctor, even a neighbor, prompting officials to step in. But this week, questions were raised after three children taken from an unsafe home weren’t immediately placed with a willing family member. Today, we spoke with Shawn Vargas, Director of Human Services. He says every report is fully investigated to make sure each child is placed where they’ll be safest, and he walks us through how that process works.

 

Shawn Vargas, Director, Department of Human Services

“We follow what is called a continuum of care within the department. And so always it’s family that’s prioritized for placement. It is always family that is prioritized after family, e look at foster parents who are registered with the department and after fast appearance, then we look at the institutions. So placing a child in an institution is the last resort of the department, the last resort of the department, and one additional component when it comes to family placement. We believe that we have family members who are capable, who are willing and able to support. But if you don’t reach a certain threshold within the, what we have as our substitute care agreement and home visiting report, then we cannot place with a family member because the ultimate responsibility is safety and protection of the child, and not because they are willing and able, it means that the placement is safe. So those are some of the things that the public have to understand. The public needs to understand. Our purpose is safety and protection, and so we have to look at all. All avenues to, to ensure that the safety and the protection of every child that’s in the care of the department is paramount. There is a substitute care provider. It is an agreement that the department hold with any individual who is fostering a child. And with that substitute care provider, it’s like a contract, an agreement. And so we work The department can make an effort to if there’s something, the department can make an effort to meet the needs of the family. So even if it means to provide grocery on a monthly basis to provide a small stipend for the family to care for a, an extended family member, the department makes an effort to do that when it comes to long-term placement, especially with teenagers, because they are among the difficult population to place. For evident reasons. We even go as far as helping with building materials to, to help, to renovate a home as long as we know this is a long-term placement for this individual. So those are the extent that what we would do or how we would get things to, to work for placement.”