Treasury and Resources
Ministerial Decision Report
Contingency Funding - Initiatives that support vulnerable children
- Purpose of Report
To approve allocations from Central Contingency of up to £1,793,250 over the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. The funding will be used to support a number of initiatives detailed in the written report.
To approve an increase in staffing levels for the years 2017-2019 as detailed in resource implications.
- Background
The MTFP2, as adopted by the States Assembly, included the allocation of £1.65million per year from central contingencies for initiatives that support vulnerable children. (Full amount £4,950,000 profiled as £1.65 million per year over the three-year period from 2017 to 2019).
As set out in MTFP2, that allocation is to support delivery of initiatives that include outstanding recommendations from key reports (e.g.: Williamson, Care Inquiry and Serious Case Reviews), where it is anticipated that those initiatives may feature in the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry recommendations (IJCI). The IJCI is due to be published on 3 July 2017.
Further to the decision of the States Assembly, the Council of Minister agreed on 9th November 2016, the release of a proportion of the allocated contingency monies to support the delivery of nine different initiatives. The cost of nine initiatives agreed by the Council of Minister does not represent the total contingency allocation (see Section 3 below).
The Council of Ministers also agreed to delegate to the Chief Minster the decision to request the Treasury and Resources Minister to release the remaining contingency allocation at some point in the future. Prior to making that request, the Chief Minister must have consulted with CAVA Ministers about the initiatives to be funded from the remaining allocation.
In accordance with that decision, and having consulted with the CAVA Ministers, on 12 May 2017 the Chief Minister requested that the Treasury and Resources Minister release a proportion of unallocated contingency monies for two additional initiatives. That proportion being a total of up to £896,150 over 2017 – 2019 (up to £223,600 2017, up to £300,000 in 2018 and up to £372,500 in 2019 but the amount for each year potentially to be varied without exceeding the total amount for the three years). (MD-C-2017-0038).
Further to MD-C-2017-0038, the Chief Minister having again consulted with CAVA Ministers, is now requesting that the Treasury and Resources Minister release the remaining proportion of unallocated contingency monies for six additional initiatives. That proportion being a total of up to up to £1,793,250 over 2017 – 2019. The total drawn down will be up to £445,750 in 2017, up to £710,000 in 2018 and up to £637,500 in 2019, but the amount for each year may be varied without exceeding the total amount for the three years. (See table below)
Initiative | Department | 2017 (amount up to) | 2018 (amount up to) | 2019(amount up to) | Total (amount up to) |
Legal advisers (children and family) | Law officers Department | £168,000 | £350,000 | £350,000 | £868,000 |
New headcount required 2017-2019 (over and above departmental allocation) = 3 Fte |
Pilot Parent/Infant Psychotherapy Service | Community and Constitutional Affairs Department | £35,000 | £70,500 | £70,500 | £176,000 |
New headcount required 2017-2019 (over and above departmental allocation) = 1 Fte |
Children's Change Programme | Community and Constitutional Affairs Department | £79,550 | £16,500 | £0 | £96,050 |
New headcount required 2017-2019 (over and above departmental allocation) = 1Fte |
Youth Enquiry Service (YES) | Education Department | £91,200 | £95,000 | £95,000 | £281,200 |
New headcount required 2017-2019 (over and above departmental allocation) = 2 Fte |
Nursery SEND | Education Department | £57,600 | £60,000 | £60,000 | £177,600 |
New headcount required 2017-2019 (over and above departmental allocation) = 1.0 Fte |
On-Island social work training | Health and Social Services Department | £14,400 | £90,000 | £90,000 | £194,400 |
Total per year (up to) | £445,750 | £710,000 | £637,500 | |
Total over 3 year period (up to) | £1,793,250 |
- Overview of additional initiatives
1) Legal advisers (children and family)
The Law Officers Department have experienced a significant increase in Children's law work over the last few years, with increasingly more cases being prepared for Court. It is anticipated that the work load will continue to rise over the MTFP2 period, partly in response to the improvements being driven through changes to the children’s social service. In addition, it is anticipated that the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry will recommend an overhaul of existing children’s legislation.
2) Pilot Parent/Infant Psychotherapy Service
Parental mental health and other complex difficulties influence the capacity for appropriate parenting. Parents experiencing mental health difficulties are identified as one of four groups most likely to be excluded from health and social care provision (SEU, 2004). Many of these parents are likely not to have had positive, nurturing experiences during their own childhoods. Indeed, evidence suggests one-third of individuals who have been abused or neglected as children are more likely to abuse their own children (National Research Council, 1993). Supporting parents with mental health difficulties or other personal complex difficulties such as substance or alcohol misuse, domestic violence and childhood experiences of abuse and neglect, reduces the risk of future mental health and behavioural problems in their children and supports their child in building secure attachments and successfully developing and sustaining relationships.
The project comprises a highly specialised therapeutic service for vulnerable or high risk infants/ young children and their parents/carers. The service will provide evidence-based, high quality interventions including direct therapeutic intervention including programme work, play work and video feedback aimed at improving the parent –child relationship, direct parent-infant interventions using relationship/attachment based models promoting positive relationships.
The clinician will be based, line managed and clinically supervised within CAMHS, working in an outreach capacity to the Bridge and the MESCH programme as necessary.
With funding for a dedicated specialist, the Jersey workforce would be resourced;
- To contribute to reducing the number of children entering the child protection system and prevent the trans-generational break down of family relationships
- To improve the parent-infant/young child relationship, supporting the development of secure attachments and preventing the negative impact of poor early emotional, social & cognitive development and its future longer term effects
- To support the ongoing development of the MECSH programme
- To develop the Mellow Parenting programmes in collaboration with The Bridge
3) Children's Change programme
The purpose of this funding is to support the review of the Children and Young People Strategy (2011) in order that it reflects the recent recommendations of the Care Inquiry, Caring for Ourselves Caring for Each Other and the Future Jersey Strategy. The investment will ensure:
- Young people are involved in reviewing and revising the Children and Young People Framework
- A large scale event will be organised to engage practitioners from across statutory and voluntary services along with children and young people in developing the priorities described within the revised Children and Young People Strategy.
- Ensure appropriate materials are developed to ensure public consultation is timely and effective.
4) Youth Enquiry Service (YES)
The purpose of this funding is to support development of services provided to particular cohorts of vulnerable or potentially vulnerable young people. This consists of 2 full-time equivalent Assistant Youth Workers to support:
- the development of the Youth Enquiry Service which is the Islands young people advice centre. With the development of a new one-stop-shop / advice centre for young people these posts will allow the shop to open additional hours.
- the development of curricular work which is targeted at vulnerable and at risk young people through the Youth Service project team. This will involve attending various schools, youth projects, street work and other locations where young people attend / gather and provide informal learning opportunities around issues young people could be facing such as well-being & self-esteem workshops, health workshops, staying safe, legal highs, This would be delivered in a youth work style where young people are engaged through informal processes so they become engaged. Which we know from recent reports has a positive impact on hard to engage young people.
5) Nursery Special Educational Needs project
To fund outreach service for families with children with special needs. To support potential access to mainstream education rather that Mont-A-l’Abbe.
The need for this additional support is driven by a number of factors. These are;
- An increase in the number of babies with profound needs surviving birth and infancy;
- An increase in the size of the total school population at Mont-A-l’Abbe school. This has removed capacity for the school to provide any outreach support to parents;
- The need to support parents in the home whilst the children are pre-school;
- To support and prepare parents and schools in cases where children have the ability to be included in mainstream education;
- To ensure that all work with families and children is coordinated and cohesive.
6) On-Island social work training
There is a problem in recruiting and retaining Social Workers to work in Jersey. This reflects the position elsewhere in the British Isles. The retention of good social workers is critical to improving outcomes for service users. It is likely that the Inquiry will refer to the high turnover of professional staff and the resultant lack of continuity and consistency for children, parents and partner agencies
The Jersey Probation and After Care service has demonstrated that a local training scheme pays dividends in delivering strong results and retaining good quality staff. The Health and Social Services Nurse training scheme whilst more recent is proving to be similarly effective. By introducing a Jersey (and Guernsey) Social Work training scheme potential Social Workers who could not otherwise leave Jersey will be able to train and qualify. The course whilst fully accredited for practice elsewhere in the British Isles will be tailored to the needs of the Channel island community.
The funding for 2017 will allow Highlands College to develop a Degree Course in partnership with an external Academic Institution (four Universities have expressed an interest to date). The remaining funding is to cover the fees for 12 students and a smaller number of practice educators in the academic years commencing September 2018. The monies will be transferred to Health and Social Services Department for use across the whole project.
- Recommendation
The Minister is recommended to approve allocations from Central Contingency of up to £1,793,250 over the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. The funding will be used to support a number of initiatives detailed in resource implications.
The Minister is also recommended to approve an increase in staffing levels for the years 2017-2019 as detailed in resource implications.
- Reason for Decision
Article 17(2) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that the Minister for Treasury and Resources is authorised to approve the transfer from contingency expenditure of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year.
The current Contingency Allocation Policy (published as R.10/2012) sets the requirement for all allocations from Contingency to be considered by the Council of Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval.
The MTFP2, as adopted by the States Assembly, included the allocation of £1.65million per year from Central Contingencies for initiatives that support vulnerable children (£4,950,000 in total over the period from 2017 to 2019). On 9th November 2016, the Council of Ministers collectively agreed nine projects to be allocated a proportion of those contingencies monies (totalling up to £2,260,650 over the period from 2017 to 2019). The Council of Ministers also collectively agreed to delegate to the Chief Minister the decision to request the Treasury and Resources Minister to fund other initiatives that support vulnerable children from the remaining contingency allocation.
The Chief Minister signed decision MD-C-2017-0038 requesting allocation of funding for Family Support Workers and the Baby Steps universal antenatal programme. This request was agreed by the Minister for Treasury and Resources in MD0TR02017-0051.
The Chief Minister has now signed a further decision requesting the current allocation, which represents the remainder of the funding agreed in the MTFP2.
To comply with P67/1999 which charges the Minister for Treasury and Resources to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States.
- Resource Implications
The revenue heads of expenditure for the Law Officers, Community and Constitutional Affairs (CCA), Education and Health and Social Services (H&SS) departments will increase in 2017, 2018 and 2019 by the amounts set out in the table below. Central Contingencies will decrease by corresponding amounts.
Initiative | Department | 2017 (amount up to) | 2018 (amount up to) | 2019 (amount up to) | Total (amount up to) | FTE increase for 2017-2019 |
Legal advisers (children and family) | Law officers Department | £168,000 | £350,000 | £350,000 | £868,000 | 3.0 |
Pilot Parent/Infant Psychotherapy Service | Community and Constitutional Affairs Department | £35,000 | £70,500 | £70,500 | £176,000 | 1.0 |
Children's Change Programme | Community and Constitutional Affairs Department | £79,550 | £16,500 | £0 | £96,050 | 1.0 |
Youth Enquiry Service (YES) | Education Department | £91,200 | £95,000 | £95,000 | £281,200 | 3.0 |
Nursery SEND | Education Department | £57,600 | £60,000 | £60,000 | £177,600 | 0 |
On-Island social work training | Health and Social Services Department | £14,400 | £90,000 | £90,000 | £194,400 | 0 |
Total per year (up to) | £445,750 | £710,000 | £637,500 | | |
Total over 3 year period (up to) | £1,793,250 | 8.0 |
The £1,793,250 in total is proposed to be drawn down across the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. The amount for each year may be varied without exceeding the total amount for the three years.
This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for 2017 and 2018 in the Medium Term Financial Plan.
Staffing levels will increase by for the years 2017-2019 in accordance with the above table.
Report author : Head of Decision Support | Document date 5th July 2016 |
Quality Assurance / Review : Director of Financial Planning and Performance | File name and path L:\Treasury\Sections\Corporate Finance\Ministerial Decisions\DS, WR and SD\2017-0090 - Contingency - Childrens Change Projects Phase 2 remainder |
MD sponsor : : Director of Financial Planning and Performance |
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