Designs invited for care memorial

Designers, artists, engineers and architects are being invited to submit designs for a permanent memorial in Weighbridge Place to acknowledge the children and young people who were failed and harmed while in Jersey’s care system.

The memorial project is part of the Government’s response to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, which identified the need to determine how the failures of the Island’s historic child care system should be recognised and remembered. 

In 2018 a citizens’ panel was formed to consider how the Island should remember those who were failed by Jersey’s historic care system. The panel, which included a significant number of survivors, recommended that a memorial be erected as part of a legacy project to acknowledge victims and their families.

The memorial will be erected in one of two possible places at Weighbridge Place. This £200,000 public art commission will be funded from the Care Inquiry budget.

The citizens’ panel said: “For decades victims of abuse were ignored and denied a voice. Through the creation of the citizens’ panel in 2018, we at last are being given a voice and a part in the decision-making process. This memorial is a vital component of the legacy project as it will help acknowledge the mistakes of the past and remember those victims no longer with us.”

The Children’s and Housing Minister Senator Sam Mézec added: “I welcome the announcement of the opportunity to design such an important memorial. I am particularly grateful to the members of the citizens’ panel for playing a vital role in deciding how Jersey should formally recognise the legacy of the Care Inquiry. 

“This Government is fully committed to safeguarding children by acknowledging the past and looking ahead to a brighter future where children in Jersey are cared for, protected and celebrated.”

The memorial project and design process is being co-ordinated by Government of Jersey officers in conjunction with the citizens’ panel and public art consultancy Private and Public Ltd. 

Designs must be submitted by Thursday, 30 April and a public exhibition of shortlisted designs will be held in June to gather feedback from Islanders before a final decision is made. The winning design is expected to be announced by the citizens’ panel on Jersey Children’s Day on 3 July 2020.
 
Anyone interested in submitting a design for the care memorial can find out more online.