Jersey Care Commission could regulate children's services

The change would act on criticism made by an independent report into children's care in 2017, Jersey Care Commission said

Jersey's care watchdog could be given greater regulation powers over children's services.

The government is looking to extend Jersey Care Commission's regulation to cover areas including children's mental health services and social work.

Its chief inspector said the move would act on the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry 2017 which found there was "lack of independent scrutiny".

Jersey's government said a draft would be issued for consultation in July.

Audrey Murphy, the commission's chief inspector, said the move was delivering on findings and recommendations of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry 2017, which revealed decades of slavery, bullying and abuse in the island's care system.

She said: "There was an absolute lack of external, any independent scrutiny of children's homes, children's social services, fostering and adoption, etc, etc, so this will really deliver on that."

'Meet demands of expansion'

In the care commission's annual report, it stated: "The commission has been advised of the government's intention to extend regulation to include additional aspects of children's services, for example social work, child protection, adoption, fostering and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), which will require team expansion over the course of the coming years."

It went on: "A budget build has been drafted and a plan is in place to recruit a programme manager, additional regulation officers and additional administrative support to ensure the commission is appropriately resourced to meet the demands of this expansion of its regulatory scope."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Government of Jersey said: "Policy Officers are currently working to develop new Regulations which, if adopted by the Assembly, will provide for the Care Commission to regulate children's services including, for example, adoption and fostering services, children's mental health services and social work services.

"Pending feedback from the consultation, it is then anticipated there will be a States debate before end of 2021."

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