CPFSA says Betty-Ann Blaine has left a legacy that won't be forgotten

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) says that it is deeply saddened at the death of child protection stalwart Betty-Ann Blaine.

The CPFSA says the news of Blaine's death rocked the agency on Monday, where she had previously served multiple terms on the its advisory board.

It also noted that she was a key partner in child protection efforts through her activism-based organisation Hear the Children Cry.

CEO of the CPFSA Laurette Adams-Thomas said "Blaine, a child protection stalwart with a warm, yet indomitable spirit, has left a legacy of championing the rights of Jamaican children that will not soon be forgotten.”

Adams-Thomas noted that Hear the Children Cry was integral in the renaming of the Ananda Alert System from its former name, the Red Alert System, and also influenced policy changes which resulted in the wait time to report a missing child from 24 hours to an immediate report.

“In addition to being the first organization in the Caribbean to sign on to the Global Missing Children's Network in 2015, even leading the way for the CPFSA, Hear the Children's Cry would have also increased their value to the Ananda Alert System by providing preventative counselling services to children likely to run away through their runaway prevention programme called “Let's Talk, Don't Walk” in which children can call and speak with someone that they can trust if they are having any issues that may lead to them running away," She added.

“The CPFSA stands solemnly with the Hear the Children Cry Family in this their time of grief, while also remembering fondly Ms Blaine's all-encompassing devotion and commitment to improving the lives of Jamaica's children.” Adams-Thomas concluded.

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