Children's advocacy services plan to be debated

The proposition is due to be debated by the States Assembly in February

New regulations in Jersey could see children and young people have more of a say in the decisions made which impact them.

Minister for Children and Families Constable Richard Vibert has submitted the proposition for new regulations - asking for advocacy for children to ensure their voices are heard in decisions made about their health and wellbeing.

The proposition is due to be debated by the States Assembly in February.

Currently independent advocacy services for children and young people in Jersey are offered on a non-statutory basis, but are not legally mandated.

Constable Richard Vibert, the Minister for Children and Families, submitted the proposition for new regulations

The draft regulations were open for public consultation from December 2023 until February 2024.

They state the rationale behind establishing statutory independent advocacy for children and young people in Jersey stemmed from "the need to ensure children's voices are heard in key decisions that affect their lives".

If passed, the regulations would require the minister for children and families to appoint independent advocates to provide services in respect of children with a health or development need, children looked after by the minister, care leavers and children who were subject to safeguarding arrangements.

Key stakeholders in the independent advocacy sector, as well as professionals who support qualifying individuals, were directly invited to participate in the consultation - which the government said ensured the draft regulations were well-informed and considered a broad range of perspectives.

Specific groups of children and young people, who had either experienced independent advocacy or could benefit from it in the future, were anonymously asked a series of questions about their experiences with independent advocacy.

They were also asked how the service could be improved and what they would like to see going forward. This process was facilitated by Barnardo's Jersey.