'Lot of bureaucracy' in Guernsey's Children Law

The States scrutiny committee said islanders had raised issues where States agencies have intervened in family lives

Guernsey's Children Law has been criticised for having "a lot of bureaucracy", according to the committee reviewing the legislation.

The States has launched a "call for evidence" for the review of the 2010 implementation of the law.

The law sets out responsibilities of those who look after children and States services for "children at risk".

The scrutiny committee said "issues have been raised" where States agencies have intervened in family lives.

'Aggrieved'

Deputy Robert Jones, chairman of the Scrutiny Committee, said: "There's a combination of a few things that have raised issues. Obviously, some of it relates to procedures, I think there's a lot of bureaucracy.

"I think when you have an adversarial type system you're bound to get people feeling a bit aggrieved with the way they have been through the system."

An independent expert has been brought in to lead the review which will seek "information and statistics from professionals and from members of the public" about how the law has affected them since it was introduced.

Jane St Pier, who chairs Guernsey's Youth Commission, said: "The impact of the introduction of the law has been huge, the child's welfare is now the central focus of the States.

"What we haven't yet done is allow the culture and the ethos of the law to truly embed in the procedure of the agencies who are protecting children."

All evidence must be submitted to the committee by 10 August and after its report has been produced a public hearing may be held to discuss the conclusions.