Int’l experts to help fix adoption gaps

Local policymakers have partnered with international legal experts to overhaul Jamaica’s adoption and foster care frameworks, aiming to strengthen child-safety protocols and eliminate bureaucratic delays that leave prospective parents on years-long waiting lists while children remain stranded in state care.

Global legal body Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has pledged to work directly with the Government and state agencies to build a tailored child-protection framework as the country reviews its domestic adoption and fostering legislation.

Speaking at a plenary session at the US Embassy in Kingston on Thursday during a multistakeholder engagement, Ignacio Goicoechea, HCCH representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, noted that international legal rules must translate into practical, real-world protections for vulnerable children.

“We’re here to protect children. We’re here to make sure that the child is the guiding principle in a child-protection procedure,” said Goicoechea, calling the alignment of local legislative reform with international treaties an “incredible opportunity” to secure the right of every child to a family.

“There is no perfect recipe for Jamaica, perfect recipe for the US, or for Guyana. We have to develop that perfect recipe together,” Goicoechea told a room of ministers, judicial officers, and child-protection specialists.

INCORPORATING INTERNATIONAL STANDARD

Goicoechea commended the Jamaican Government’s stated intent to accede to an international convention, noting that incorporating international standards into Jamaica’s ongoing review of the Child Care and Protection Act and the Adoption Act is critical to creating effective pathways for children awaiting permanent homes.

Youth Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon reiterated that the Government is actively reviewing the Childcare and Protection Act and the Adoption Act, acknowledging that there is a “lacuna” in legislation regarding fostering and foster care.

She noted that this needs to be fortified with more definitive legal arrangements.

The minister said every discussion regarding adoption centres on the best interest, safety, and well-being of children but noted at the same time that the adoption process in Jamaica remains cumbersome and difficult.

“Adoption involves several institutions and important legal and procedural safeguards. That’s important. We can’t get around that. And so we have to be very mindful of that. And even though we want to have speed, we have to do it properly. And so the legal framework is actually very important.

“It also needs strong coordination, strong accountability, and clarity of responsibility. That’s very essential for us to strike the right balance that we’re looking for. We’re currently in the process of figuring out that right balance. There’s always a question of what is the right equilibrium between the rights of the child and the rights of the parents,” said Morris Dixon.

Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy Scott Renner emphasised that protecting the well-being of children must be a shared priority.

Drawing from his career background as a former public defender and director of the US Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues, Renner said effective child protection requires prompt intervention, robust support frameworks, and strong cross-sector collaboration.

“There is no room for delay when children’s well-being is at stake, and we must all act decisively with a sense of urgency. Every child deserves stability and a future, and together, we have a responsibility to help deliver it,” he said.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com