Evaluation of the Child Protection System in Jamaica
This evaluation is the first comprehensive attempt to gather and analyse evidence about the application of the Jamaican Child Protection System aiming to improve decision-making and accountability
Highlights
This evaluation is the first comprehensive attempt to gather and analyse evidence about the application of the Jamaica CPS. It has two overall purposes:
- to contribute to learning and decision-making with a view to improving programming of the Government of Jamaica (specifically Child Protection Services) and UNICEF (particularly the redevelopment of the Jamaica Country Programme 2022-2026)
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to support accountability of the CPS actors towards children through their organisational mandates.
The evaluation approach is formative and non-experimental and assesses key questions related to the relevance, effectiveness, coherence and sustainability of the Child Protection System in Jamaica.
The evaluation combined different approaches. It was utilisation-focused, participatory and human rights-based. In addition, it was equity, gender equality focussed and theory-based, ensuring that the evaluation meets GoJ and UNICEF’s learning and accountability needs, thereby serving its predominant formative purpose.
The evaluation team collected data and evidence relevant to the whole of Jamaica across all parishes from January through to December 2021. This evaluation also included an in-depth analysis of documentation regarding child protection services across Jamaica. A mixed methods approach was applied to data collection, incorporating key informant interviews, focus group discussions and a document review.
