Government knew charity's money issues - minister

Deputy Tom Binet, the Minister for Health and Social Services, said the department knew about the charity's "significant financial problems" in January

The Jersey health department knew a mental health charity was in financial trouble for six months before it unexpectedly closed, a minister has confirmed.

The Jersey Recovery College (JRC) closed with immediate effect in August due to its financial situation becoming "unsustainable".

In a written question response, Deputy Tom Binet, the Minister for Health and Social Services, said the department knew about the charity's "significant financial problems" in January but still agreed another 12-month contract in July.

He said the department agreed to work "with JRC to redesign the service offer..." and a "longer contract could not be offered at that time, as the financial viability concerns were already known".

He added a "number of meetings were held" between his department and the charity to "establish how the service could be sustained" but were unsuccessful.

Mr Binet said the department was now working on how to provide services to people who needed them "including offers of individual support and plans to develop alternative or replacement services as soon as possible".

Previously, the organisation said it had supported about 3,000 islanders with "recovery focused education" since its inception in 2017.