THE CHILD CARE officer assigned to Shemar Weekes two years before his hanging admitted that his case fell through the cracks.
And her boss, director of the Child Care Board Joan Crawford said the action of the child protection agency in 12-year-old’s case was inappropriate and needed to be addressed.
Crawford and officer Sherry-ann Blackman were two major witnesses today when the Shemar Weekes Inquest continued before Coroner Manila Renee. Weekes was found hanging on the night of May 14, 2015. The board’s attorney Queen’s Counsel Beverley Lady Walrond; Shemar’s mother Julieanne Weekes, his great-aunt Clarista “Mabel” Daniel who made the original complaint and step-father Shawn Greaves were present at the hearing.
In addition, principal of Coleridge & Parry Vincent Fergusson and guidance counsellor Cheryl Rose, residents from Shemar’s last neighbourhood Checker Hall, St Lucy, Antonio Connell, Alecia Connell and Kevin Yearwood gave evidence.
Blackman told the court that she was part of the child abuse unit of the CCB when the initial report was made on February 21, 2013 but she did not get in contact with Shemar’s mother Julieanne Weekes even though she called once and twice visited the home in the evening. She also called the Gordon Walters Primary School where Shemar, then nine and of Lowther’s Hill, Christ Church, was attending but did not get in contact with the principal in May 2013 and the case ended there.
She conceded that there should have been follow-up action and attributed the lack thereof to the volume of work at the CCB. When Coroner Renee pointed out that she had more than two years to get back to the case, Blackman also said other cases were continuously being assigned to her and there were no further reports coming in on Shemar from his great-aunt or anyone.
Initially she said she could not respond to the court’s question as to whether since Shemar’s death anything had been done to remedy the state of affairs. However, Blackman did say that the agency had been trying to work on its case management using a consultant.
Director Crawford said Shemar’s case was taken seriously and upon review the action taken was inappropriate and had to be addressed. She said that the state agency dealt with more than 1 000 children reported there and the child abuse unit had about five to six members.
A UK senior social work management consultant was brought in to review cases that had no action for three months or longer and to train employees, she said.
Officers must now meet with their supervisors regularly for discussion of cases and follow up action and the procedure to be followed if an officer is being transferred from a unit, Crawford said.
Principal Fergusson said the school had no complaints about Shemar neither had it ever called the parents of the above average student whose grades went as high as the 70s. If there were complaints about gambling or cursing a teacher those were serious and he would have known about them, he said. (AC)