In 2022 Jersey Government passed a new law, the Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022. The law talks about supporting wellbeing for all children and young people. It talks specifically about wellbeing and support for care leavers and children in care – who should provide it and who is entitled to it.
This new law is very important because it will guide how well children and young people are supported and enabled to thrive. The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (IJCI) said that there needs to be better guidance and legislation about helping children and families early (‘early intervention’).* They noted that in Jersey law this was not in place and recommended that new laws and guidance for the interests, safety and wellbeing of children should be as up to date as possible.
The Government has now made draft guidance to explain to people how to do what the new law says they should do. This includes telling professionals (called ‘providers’ in the law) how to work together and look after the wellbeing of children.
The Government has asked for feedback on this new guidance. Alongside the Jersey Child Care Trust (JCCT) we have written our feedback based on what we have learnt from advocacy and JCCT’s work with families. We have provided feedback on both the law and the guidance recognising that the law is the ‘root’. You can read our feedback here.
*“There is currently in Jersey no statutory provision in respect of preventative measures, thresholds for intervention, rights and needs of children, all supported by robust practice guidance that assists professionals (social workers, jurists, probation officers and others) in the day-to-day application of the law.” – 2017, Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, 12.50
Update May 2023
We were disappointed that the feedback response did not, by and large, respond to our submission. Given that these concerns remain, we are considering our next steps. Please do get in touch if you would like to join us in this regard.
