CPFSA removes five abandoned babies from Spanish Town Hospital

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) has removed all five babies who had been abandoned by their parents at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine, following concerns about the length of time the children had remained at the facility.

The agency says it has secured the relevant court orders for the children and has placed them in care arrangements based on their individual needs.

Two of the babies have been placed in familial environments through the CPFSA’s Foster Care programme, while a third child, who has special needs, has been placed at a facility specifically equipped to cater to those needs.

The remaining two babies are under the direct supervision of the State at a CPFSA nursery, as their cases are currently before the court.

In a statement on Friday, CPFSA Chief Executive Officer Laurette Adams Thomas said each of the five cases involved different circumstances that contributed to delays in finding appropriate placements.

“While there is no law or official protocol for the timeframe in which a child can remain at a hospital, which is a place of safety, we acknowledge that the babies were left in the care of the hospital for longer than we would have desired,” she said.

Adams Thomas explained that there was no single factor responsible for the delays, noting that placement decisions depend on several considerations, including the availability of suitable spaces, the specific medical and other needs of a child, the availability of foster families and case-specific legal or family circumstances.

She said family tracing can also affect the process.

“The agency continues to pursue both family-based and residential placement options as appropriate,” Adams Thomas said, while appealing to Jamaicans with the resources to become foster parents to come forward and help address the shortage.

The development comes against the backdrop of concerns raised by the Spanish Town Hospital over the number of children and other vulnerable people who remain at the facility long after they have been discharged.

READ: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20260825/children-abandoned-five-young-ones-among-60-patients-deserted-relatives

Hospital records had shown that four of the five children, whose ages ranged from 10 months to two and a half years, had spent almost their entire lives at the hospital after being left by their parents, reportedly for adoption. The fifth child, a boy aged one and a half years, had remained at the hospital for 11 months after being discharged.

Spanish Town Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Ellis had described the situation as unacceptable, warning that prolonged stays in a hospital environment could affect the children’s development.

“There are challenges because children need interaction. They are among patients who come in and out, and so there is no stability in terms of being home, seeing other siblings, other friends or relatives to interact with. That definitely affects any child at a hospital for so long,” Ellis told The Gleaner in an August 25 news story.

The hospital had also been covering the children’s basic needs, including diapers, wipes and meals.

CPFSA says its officers continue to follow up on active cases involving children in hospitals and provide some material support to hospitals caring for them.

The agency says it is working to ensure that children who remain in hospitals are moved into secure and loving environments as soon as appropriate placements become available.

The issue has also highlighted wider concerns about the pressure social cases place on Jamaica’s public health system.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton previously said a multi-agency approach was needed to address the problem, noting that social cases occupying hospital beds can limit the capacity to care for patients requiring medical treatment.

With the five babies now removed from Spanish Town Hospital, CPFSA says it will continue pursuing family-based, foster and residential placements, while encouraging more Jamaicans to become foster parents.

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