Minister responds to Ofsted recommendations

04 December 2019

​The Children’s Minister has welcomed the findings of the Jersey Care Commission – ‘A Follow-Up Inspection of Children’s Social Work Services’ published today.

The Care Commission appointed Ofsted to undertake an independent progress inspection of children's social work services in Jersey in September, following on from the 2018 inspection and its ‘Making a Difference; Driving Improvement’ report.

The latest inspection report has identified notable improvements in key areas, including a significant shift in corporate and political support for children's services, while children in need of help and protection are better supported. 

In a statement, Senator Sam Mézec said: “We welcome the Jersey Care Commission’s follow-up report and recommendations. I am pleased with the finding that children in need of help and protection are now better supported than they were at the time of the last inspection.

“However, there is still more to do to ensure a fully joined-up response to children’s needs, and the Government Plan, which was approved on Monday, will spend more than £20 million a year to make the required changes and provide the right conditions to help all our children to thrive.” 

The report recognised that there has been a significant shift in corporate and political support for children’s services as well as greater recognition of the need to strengthen the support provided for children. 

The report also highlighted that leaders have put important building blocks in place with the appointment of a Children’s Minister, the creation of a Children’s Plan and Pledge all indicate 'a changing culture', where children’s welfare is beginning to take a more central position in corporate and political thinking. 

The recommendations focus on the areas that require further improvement and are self-explanatory. The most pressing is the need to stabilise the workforce, so that children experience less turnover and change.