20 June 2018
A review of Jersey’s Safeguarding Partnership Boards has been conducted for the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department, following the Board’s first five years in operation.
More than 40 senior professionals from various organisations including the Police, Probation, Health, Ambulance, as well as those working in children and adult services were interviewed during January and February this year for the review. Independent Care Home managers, the Jersey Childcare Trust and Jersey Youth Service were also among those interviewed.
The review found that considerable work has been undertaken in the development of policies, processes and training programmes; all of which have helped drive safeguarding improvements across the system. For example, over 11,000 professionals and third sector representatives have attended safeguarding foundation training since 2013.
Some of the 17 recommendations in the review include:
the SPBs should continue to operate and that they should do so in joint form
the SPBs should continue to be independently chaired
ensure plans are in place to recruit a new independent chair, from outside the island to aid independence, when the current chair retires in February 2019
a legislative framework for safeguarding in the States of Jersey should be a priority for the new Government
Steve Appleton, managing director of Contact Consulting, who carried out the review, said: “The development of the SPB has been a positive advance for Jersey. The current arrangements are a considerable improvement on what went before and have put in place foundations on which to build.”
The report is being published in full Review of Jersey's Safeguarding Partnership Boards so that the findings and recommendations can be considered by all those who took part in this review ahead of a formal response from Ministers.
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