…CPFSA tried to separate wards before pregnancy

THE Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) has confirmed that a 16-year-old ward of the State has been impregnated by another ward while in its care, noting that the agency had implemented several unsuccessful preventative measures to keep the two apart. The revelation comes amid concerns from the teen’s aunt, whose name is being withheld to protect the child, who complained about a lack of communication from the CPFSA regarding her niece’s pregnancy, movements between childcare facilities, and the teen’s arrest while in State care. In a detailed response to questions from the Jamaica Observer, the agency said the facility’s management at Maxfield Park Children’s Home in the Corporate Area had identified the developing relationship between the 16-year-old and the male ward, who is also 16 years old, but both teenagers repeatedly denied that they were involved.

“Subsequently, various control measures were put in place to keep them separated and specially supervised while on property. Both wards were consistently defiant of these measures. At the time [the teen’s] pregnancy was discovered, arrangements were already being made to transfer the male ward to another facility as part of broader efforts to separate them,” the agency said in its response.

The agency said separation efforts were still ongoing when the pregnancy was discovered on July 6, 2026. According to the agency, the pregnancy was discovered after the teen girl told a staff member that she was concerned she might be pregnant because she had missed her menstrual period. The teen was reportedly taken to the facility’s clinic and a doctor confirmed the pregnancy.

The CPFSA told the Sunday Observer the matter was also reported to the police, and the teen girl was taken to the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) for an assessment. “CISOCA advised that [the teen] was over 16 years old at the time of conception and indicated that, based on the information she provided, the relationship was consensual. As such, there was no further action they could pursue in relation to a sexual offence investigation at that time,” said the agency.

The aunt and another family member were reportedly notified of the pregnancy on July 10, 2026 during a meeting with the teen’s caseworker at the CPFSA’s Kingston office. According to the agency, the option was provided for the aun…