Dionne Rose, Staff ReporterTHE CHILD Development Agency (CDA) is currently in the process of recruiting managers for its 13 places of safety and children' s homes.
Allison Anderson, chief executive officer of the CDA, told The Gleaner yesterday that the recruitment process was ongoing and that they were, recruiting some 400 persons to
re-staff the agency.
The CDA was declared an executive agency last June under the government's Public Sector Modernisation Programme (PSMP).
It was created from the amalgamation of the Children's Services Division, the Adoption Board and the Child Support Unit. The agency is also responsible for identifying and evaluating new issues surrounding child welfare and developing or adopting local and international strategies to advance the interest of children.
Ms. Anderson said that this year, the agency would be recruiting children's officers and superintendents.
"By the end of March the target is to recruit 75 per cent of the total structure," she said.
QUALIFICATIONS
On Wednesday, the CDA posted the
job descriptions of managers for its places
of safety and children's homes. The criteria listed for the post were that applicants
should have a Bachelor of Science degree in social sciences either in the discipline
of social work, management studies
and public administration.
Persons are required to have a minimum of six years experience in the area of child welfare, four of which should be at a senior level. Persons should also have at least three years experience in managing a residential child care institution and any equivalent combination of education and experience in the related field.
Ms. Anderson advised that while a
few superintendents in the previous system had degrees, the job description was a bit
different from the former posts.
She said that persons who previously held these positions would have to reapply for their jobs, pointing out that they would have to go through an assessment just as other applicants.
