Parents guilty of leaving their children at home unsupervised will be charged, in order to send a strong message said Minister of Human Services and Social Security.
Jennifer Webster during an interview at the Felix Austin Police Training Centre on Friday, stated that her ministry will be charging parents who are in the habit of leaving children unsupervised at home. She mentioned a case where a 10-year-old was found in a house in Sophia, cooking and caring for a baby. “That is not really what the law says,” Webster said, adding that the move is to send a strong message to parents.
Webster also announced that her ministry will be aggressively pursuing fathers who fail to financially support their children. In many cases she said, there are warrants issued for fathers who fail to financially support their children, but many times they [fathers] cannot be located.
Social Security.
Webster said, “I think that we have to go back and look at what the Act says and perhaps strengthen the Act… and have it enforced because parents have a responsibility to their children.” Additionally she said that it is not only the state’s responsibility under the Childcare and Protection Act to ensure that children are properly cared for, but that “parents also need to understand their roles and responsibilities in a greater way.” According to Webster her ministry will be working to ensure greater enforcement in the areas of the law where it speaks to the maintenance of children.
