Vivian Sablan
Mariah Barcinas
THE Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ Division of Youth Services is now finalizing policies for the establishment of the CNMI’s first central registry for child abuse and neglect.
Funded by a technical assistance grant from the Capacity Building Center for States of the Administration for Children and Families, which is under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the initiative marks a significant milestone in child protection efforts in the CNMI, DYS Administrator Vivian Sablan said.
Mariah Barcinas, DYS child protective services intervention specialist, is the project lead. She described the central registry project as “a landmark initiative in our ongoing efforts to protect the CNMI’s children.”
The registry aims to enhance DYS capabilities in identifying and monitoring potential threats by centralizing data on individuals and perpetrators, she said.
The central registry is a response to the need for a more organized and standardized approach in handling child abuse cases, she added.
She said it will focus on ensuring safety as well as the privacy of all involved while making critical information accessible to law enforcement and relevant authorities and partner agencies.
Barcinas said the initiative is tailored to the CNMI’s unique cultural, social and legal context to ensure that it serves the local community effectively.
“I am also grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with experts from other jurisdictions who already have established registries,” Barcinas said. “Through this exchange of knowledge and best practices, we are able to tailor and enhance our registry system to effectively address the specific needs and challenges faced in the CNMI. This collaboration has been instrumental in shaping a stronger and culturally sensitive approach to child welfare in our community,” she added.
She is confident that the new registry will be a vital tool in enhancing the safety and well-being of CNMI children and families.
Sablan, for her part, stressed the importance of working with child-serving agencies in the CNMI to ensure that personnel employed as well as volunteers are screened utilizing the child abuse registry for the safety of all involved, “most especially our children, our most vulnerable population.”
