According to Director of CC&PA Ann Greene the children, ages five, three and one, remain hospitalized at the West Demerara Regional Hospital while the agency is attempting to find a home for them. While the youngest of the three is still unwell, Greene said the older two are fine but they remain at the institution because there is no alternative.
“It is difficult but we are trying to find foster parents for the children because we don’t want them to be separated,” Greene told this newspaper.
However, she said so far no one has indicated an interest in taking all three of the children and it now appears as if they would have to be returned to the Red Cross Convalescent Home from where they were removed by their mother just before they were hospitalized.
“It now looks like if they would have to go back to Red Cross and the two older ones may have to be separated from the younger one because it is easier to find foster parents for that child,” Greene said.
The children were taken into custody by the agency after one of them was burnt on his face almost four months ago, but they were later returned to their mother. She subsequently indicated that she could not care for them.
However, an official at a day care facility the children attended before they were taken into custody had said that she advised the mother to take the children to the hospital because they appeared to be ill.
According to the official, the mother took the children to the centre and asked for them to be re-enrolled.
Greene said that the CC&PA continues to work with the mother and she had taken a woman to the agency who indicated an interest in fostering the children.
“But we found that she did not have proper accommodation so we could not send the children there,” Greene said.
Earlier the CC&PA indicated it had advised the police to institute a charge against the mother under the Protection of Children Act, since she had reunited with her common-law husband, who was charged with injuring the eldest of the three children. But this line of action has since been abandoned as the woman is in need of medical and emotional assistance.
The day care worker, who had given some details about the burning of the five-year-old, had recalled that on June 21 the father of the children took them to the centre, where it was immediately realized that the older child had burns to his face. The official said when questioned, the father said the child had an accident — an explanation that was not credible. When the child was questioned in front of his stepfather, he made allegations about being burnt with hot water and the police were immediately contacted. The official said that the stepfather was requested to remain until the police arrived and he did.
As soon as the lawmen came, they rushed the child to the hospital where he was seen by a doctor. The stepfather was then arrested by the police and charged and placed before the court. He was granted bail and soon after he returned to the home.
