Secure unit for children could be improved

Greenfields in Five Oaks was created for remanded children or needed somewhere safe to stay

A secure unit for children in Jersey could be improved to accommodate young people in the island who have different needs.

Greenfields in the Five Oaks area was created for children who had been remanded into custody or needed somewhere safe to stay due to welfare issues.

The Minister for Children and Families, Constable Richard Vibert, said the home could be developed to offer more facilities.

The government will look at how much it will cost before agreeing on formal plans, Mr Vibert said.

'Improvement plan'

He said: "The plan is to develop Greenfields secure unit further, so that it is part of a specialist campus, where there is a children's home, step down unit and an emergency bed and a remand bed, to better meet the needs of young people.

"Work is also planned to establish whether it is possible to develop alternative options to the use of secure accommodation orders through the use of inherent jurisdiction."

Mr Vibert said the long-term plans for Greenfields had been considered as part of the work to "review the residential estate for children in care in Jersey as part of the refreshed improvement plan".

"This has included modelling and analysis of the sufficiency need over the next five years," he added.