Statement from Council of Ministers on the proposed care memorial

23 October 2020

Statement

“The Government of Jersey is offering to meet with those survivors of Jersey’s care system who are against the proposed care memorial to hear their views and concerns.

“As a Government, we are committed to listening to all survivors and affected individuals and responding to any concerns and suggestions for improvement. We welcome all types of feedback and we respect the public’s right to petition their views in a peaceful manner.  

“The proposed memorial would form part of the Government’s response to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, which recommended that the failures of the Island’s historic care system should be recognised and remembered.
“Alongside this, we will continue to work with the Citizens’ Panel, which was set up by the Council of Ministers, following the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.”

Additional information

The Citizens’ Panel is made up of survivors and members of the wider public who have proposed a Legacy Project consisting of a care memorial, Jersey Children’s Day, a package of help and support for survivors and an emblem. 

The Citizens Panel’s eight looking back criteria, in full, are as follows:
“The memorial is the element that focusses on the past and must therefore meet the Panel’s looking back criteria (agreed in June 2018), which are as follows:
1. Include an apology   
2. Is thought provoking and forever 
3. Honours victims and survivors, those lives lost, lives ruined and those who are still suffering 
4. Ensures that what happened does not get forgotten and stops the past being repeated 
(When the Citizens Panel met to write this commissioning brief they agreed that it is extremely difficult for a monument to achieve this). 
5. Is easily accessible to the public 
6. Is highly visible and cannot be ignored. A memorial should be located in a highly prominent position so that all are constantly reminded of the injustice that took place and how the children were failed in the care system. It should remind the Jersey government as the corporate parents (i.e. acting parents), but not shock the survivors and bring back memories. 
7. Is meaningful to a range of experiences suffered in the whole care system 
8. Is a transparent and clear acknowledgment of what happened.