Payments to Jersey Cares (FOI)

Request

A

Please advise of the yearly payments made to Jersey Cares from the Government of Jersey to provide advocacy services to those people with an experience of care. Please provide this figure yearly for the past five years.

B

Please advise if Jersey Cares is currently contracted by the Government to provide this support in the year 2023? 

C

As the service provided by Jersey Cares is currently on hold, please advise who is ensuring young people in the care of the Minister for Children and Education are provided with independent advocacy as per the Jersey Care Commission Guidelines and the Independent Care Review Recommendations?

Response

A

A breakdown of funding for the past five years to Jersey Cares from the Government of Jersey cannot been provided, as this would likely prejudice the commercial interests of both the Government and the commissioned service. Article 33(b) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

B

Jersey Cares are currently contracted by the Government to provide this support during 2023.

C

All children and young people under the care of the Minister have been contacted and offered an alternative independent advocacy offer whilst the service provided by Jersey Cares is on hold.

Article applied

Article 33 - Commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Public Interest Test

Article 33 (b) is a prejudice-based exemption. That means that in order to engage this exemption there must be a likelihood that disclosure would cause prejudice to the interest that the exemption protects. In addition, this is a qualified exemption and consideration must be given to the public interest in maintaining the exemption.

It is considered that providing information could prejudice the commercial interests of the Government of Jersey and/or third parties. There may be public interest in the commercial information however it was considered that this is outweighed by the potential for commercial and/or financial damage.