Jersey citizens' panel says victims need more support

The panel said it was hard to understand why support was not in place more than a decade after the issue was first raised in 2007

A citizens' panel set up in response to Jersey's Independent Care Inquiry is concerned there is not enough mental health support for survivors.

After three years the panel, which has a majority of members who were harmed and abused in Jersey's care system, suggested eight ideas.

It recommended a memorial space to symbolise "a permanent public apology" and an annual children's day.

The panel asked for its recommendations to be supported by the government.

It acknowledged the "slow progress" of the island's mental health services.

"For those of us who have been on this journey since 2007, it is hard to understand why the need for proper services for survivors of institutional abuse are still not in place 14 years later," it said.

The report asked the government to "act immediately" and to set up a support scheme for victims.

The following eight recommendations are:

1. Prioritise support of the survivor-led steering group to make two separate memorials

2. An annual Children's Day

3. Include in the Jersey education curriculum how the "government failed to protect its children in the past" and the lessons it learnt

4. Support from the government and other organisations "at a distance" so the movement grows independently

5. Government to take forward and fund the recommendations from the forthcoming Jersey care panel report

6. Government to fund an investigation, with Survivors Voices and the Survivors Trust into how survivor peer support groups in Jersey could operate and be supported

7. The government to "immediately" provide support to victims on the island

8. Government to provide long-term funding for independent advocacy for adults

The report said the original memorial recommendation, which led to protests, would now be a place to reflect and symbolise "a permanent public apology".

"We felt hurt that despite our best intentions our ideas could cause so much distress to others in our family of survivors.

"We had the humility to listen, to reach out and to learn - we met face-to-face, built trust and together we agreed a new way forward," it said.

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