St Mary's Children's Home shuts out non-compliant workers

The St Mary’s Children’s Home said nine members of its staff appointed by the Statutory Authority Service Commission (SASC) have not complied with the requirements for licensing under the laws of Trinidad and Tobago and the Children’s Authority. It said these staff members would not be allowed access to the compound or rostered for duty from March 11.

In a statement on March 12, the home said 12 members of staff were not in compliance with the requirements up to March 5, after which they were given a final five-working-day window to provide the documents required. Three people complied, and nine did not.

Under The Children’s Community Residences (Children’s Homes) Regulations, 2018, section 5 [b], each employee must have: a police certificate of character issued not more than three months before the date of the application; a job description; a copy of the contract of employment or conditions of service; where the employee’s functions involve the handling or preparation of food for consumption, a copy of a valid food badge; and a statement signed by a medical practitioner that the employee is in good physical health.

According to the home, it has been assisting employees over the last two years with timely acquisition/submission of the required documents with active counsel and support through various initiatives.

It said the employees were non-compliant, as they said the authority’s request for documents did not form part of the collective agreement between the commission and the Public Services Association (PSA); they needed correspondence from the commission, the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) or the permanent secretary, Gender and Child Affairs, advising them of this amendment to the terms and conditions of their employment; and the commission had assigned them to the home, but they were not employees of the home, and hence were answerable to commission-appointed staff as well as the relevant ministry, and did not have to comply with any request made by the home.

The home said the commission, for its part, had on more than one occasion indicated that it could not instruct the employees assigned about compliance with the CATT requirements.

"The board of the St Mary’s Children’s Home, mindful of the very real risk of closure of the home with its 167-year legacy of service in the care and protection of the children of our nation as a result of the continuing noncompliance of the 12 members of staff, took a decision to give notice to each non-compliant employee with a final five-working-day window of opportunity, effective March 5, 2024, to provide the home with the authority’s required employee documents.

"Employees who opt to continue their non-compliance were further notified that they will neither be allowed access to the home’s compound nor be rostered for duty, post March 11, 2024 and should report to the commission."

The home said it was in full agreement with the authority’s attempts to ensure that "the staff that take care of the nation’s children are competent, are mentally well, are physically able to endure the rigours of a trauma-informed environment and seek to obey the laws of TT.

"These stipulations have been put in place to protect our children and ensure that no harm will come to them. They are therefore vital requirements from both an ethical and legal perspective and should not be approached with scant regard."