| Findings | Comments |
1 | The lack of regular, sustainable respite care services for the majority of the user group is unachievable based on the current system. The Panel believes that a significant number of families who would benefit from respite care are not receiving it because of a poorly managed approach to assessing demand. A sustainable and reliable respite care service is important to help prevent families reaching crisis point due to the stress of full-time caring. [Section 3.1] | The Minister takes note of the statement and undertakes to improve the methods of assessing demand for families in need (see response to Recommendation 1). The Minister agrees with the Panel’s concluding statement. |
2 | The failure on the part of Social Services to proactively identify and support those families in greatest need before they reached breaking point ultimately precipitated two separate family breakdowns and significant disruption to the rest of the respite care service. [Section 3.2] | The Minister refutes the suggestion that any breakdowns are likely to be the result of departmental failures. The process of identifying and supporting families at these difficult times is complex and the margins between a family appearing to cope and any eventual family breakdown are often very fine, however, the Minister agrees that the ‘knock-on’ consequences for other families need to be minimised or removed. |
3 | There is no comprehensive data on the number of children and young people with disabilities in Jersey or the nature of their disability. This makes assessing current and future demand almost impossible. [Section 3.3] | The Minister is aware of work already under way across State’s departments and the voluntary sector to establish the current range of ‘data collection’ (within services) so that recommendations can be made about addressing any ‘gaps’ within, and across, service provision. The Minister and the Children’s Policy Group (CPG) will take a keen interest in the outcome of that work to establish voluntary data collection in these specialist areas |
4 | There are only three small residential respite homes offering respite care specifically for children with special needs: Oakwell, Eden House and Maison Allo. Furthermore, there are two sites offering respite care services to adults. [Section 4.8] | The Minister notes the comment. |
5 | Outreach for children is delivered from the same resources as that allocated to residential respite, which restricts available outreach during busy periods. [Section 4.8] | The Minister agrees with the statement but would point out that one of the difficulties is that a small island community inevitably only has a limited supply of specialist staff who have the necessary skills and experience to respond to a wide range of complex needs. The Minister commits to developing local expertise and to working with the third sector to look at opportunities for other ways of supporting the outreach needs of service users. |
6 | The third sector makes a valuable contribution to funding and supporting respite care in Jersey. Social Services and the third sector would benefit from improving their lines of communication. [Section 4.11] | As stated above, the Minister acknowledges the vital role that the third sector plays and is pleased to confirm that: - Regular meetings have been arranged for her Ministerial Team, senior managers, and third sector representatives to ensure more effective communication and joint working.
- The appointment of a Director of Service Redesign within H&SS with a specific remit for commissioning services from external agencies including the Third Sector
- The development of a Third Sector Forum and recruitment of a dedicated ‘executive officer’ for that group is also seen as a very positive move forward and should benefit improving communications.
- the appointment of an Assistant Chief Minister with responsibility for Social Policy
It is anticipated that initiatives for developing links further are likely to be a key theme of the Action for Children Review. |
7 | The Panel identified three main circumstances in which the current supply of respite care is failing to meet the needs of the community; during emergency and crisis situations, during the transition phase to adulthood, and during school holidays and after school. [Section 4.16] | The Minister agrees with the analysis of where the pressure points arise and commits to addressing the issues under the recommendations (see response to Recommendation 7). |
8 | Emergency care is currently provided within the two States-run respite homes. This has meant that when a respite home is being used for emergency care, other families who would have normally been provided for were not able to access essential and short-term respite. [Section 4.17] | The Minister accepts the comments made but would point out that it is inevitably the staff in these very ‘specialist’ respite units that have developed the skills, experience and family relationships for managing these very same children and young people who then present with emergency needs. As pointed out when the Minister gave evidence to the Panel, maintaining and staffing a ‘separate’ facility for ‘emergency care’ does not present value for money and will remain a significant challenge for a small island jurisdiction. This said, the Minister accepts that this is the area we now need to address. Developments around ‘professional carers’, ‘family link’ or ‘linked families’ are all initiatives that will be explored and may offer effective solutions. |
9 | The lack of long-term care facilities for children with complex needs means that respite homes have been used for this purpose, to the detriment of other residents. [Section 4.18] | The Minister agrees with this analysis and outlines plans for addressing this in the recommendations. |
10 | Families face significant challenges when their child reaches the age of 18 and moves from Children’s to Adult Services, especially as the system does not provide for a personal care plan or individualised budget. Instead, access to necessary support services depend on the resources available within the Adult Services budget at the time. [Section 4.19] | The Minister is committed to working with the Council of Ministers to explore the most effective means, across departments, of meeting the needs of those children, young people, and their families who are most vulnerable and in need of support. Whilst all clients receiving services already have individual care plans; further work is required, with a variety of States Departments, to establish individualised budgets. |
11 | Once young people leave full-time education the range of available respite type services changes dramatically. Furthermore opportunities available for young adults with special needs in Jersey in terms of access to training, employment or day services are limited. [Section 4.21] | The Minister can confirm that over the last two years significant investment (£475K per annum) has led to effective adult respite services being developed and contracts for service provision are now in place. This consists of a range of residential respite beds; outreach services; specialist ‘sitting’ services; and bespoke support for individuals with complex needs and challenging behaviour. Additional to this, is prioritised access to the adult day services, as an essential respite provision. The Minister also acknowledges that the States have made significant investment (circa £700K) to enhance appropriate specialist employment services through the Jersey Employment Trust. |
12 | At the end of full-time education the personal commitment required from the carer increases dramatically. As a result some have to give up work which affects their ability to deal with the day to day financial matters that many of us take for granted. [Section 4.22] | The Minister notes the comment and recognises the likely impact where this occurs. |
13 | The Department’s perceptions of the transition service are unrealistic. The current transition system does not work properly, reflecting problems with the delivery of transition support by two separate services. [Section 4.23] | The Minister is aware that this is another area where Action for Children has considerable expertise and anticipates that their report (due end of June 2012) will be helpful in identifying the options for properly developing local service provision across different areas, and involving a range of health, social care, and educational services. |
14 | Children with special needs are at a distinct disadvantage compared with their able bodied peers in terms of choice of holiday and after-school activities. This places an additional burden on the carer, who is trying to balance work and family life with the needs of their child. [Section 4.24] | The Minister notes and accepts the comments made. As previously stated, the Minister is fully committed to working with the third sector to look at all options for early intervention and specialist support of the type likely to be required to meet these identified needs. |
15 | The States do not have a duty of care to provide respite care for families in Jersey, nor a clear social policy that enshrines the rights of the most vulnerable in society. This is in contrast with almost every other UK jurisdiction, as well as the Isle of Man. [Section 5.1 ] | The Minister notes and accepts the comments. She would advise that CPG has initiated a structure of ‘delivery groups’ to bring forward appropriate proposals under their ‘Children and Young People’s Strategic Framework’ initiative, one of which is a ‘Performance and Planning Group’. One of their key responsibilities is to ‘lead on development of initiatives which cut across all six working groups’ and one of the areas already agreed for development is a ‘legal review’. The Minister undertakes to ensure the highlighted issues are considered by this group. |
16 | There is a need for a more coherent, joined-up approach to assessment to address the holistic needs of the child and the family. Eligibility for respite care is dependent on someone being referred by a GP or by contacting the Special needs service directly. Following a referral to the Special Needs team an Assessment of Need should be produced by the Social worker assigned to the case. The Department is looking to pilot the Common Assessment Framework as Jersey has not yet reached the point where all parties contribute to one singular assessment. [Section 5.5] | The Minister notes the comments and confirms that CPG are overseeing the development of a local ‘pilot project’ for the Common Assessment Framework, programmed to commence in September this year. |
17 | The referral process for respite care can be intimidating for some parents, and without the support of an advocacy worker some families may never be able to access the necessary support. [Section 5.7] | The Minister notes and recognises the impact of the identified issue. The Minister believes this may be an area where the third sector could make a significant contribution and undertakes to explore the options whilst developing her plans for service improvement. |
18 | Some professionals working with children with autism are concerned that clients are not receiving diagnosis early enough or, in some cases at all because of a squeeze on resources available for this client group. This also impairs the ability of the service to respond to new instances of need as they arise. [Section 5.8] | The Minister strongly refutes the notion that any diagnosis would be delayed on financial grounds and would like to clarify that the diagnostic process and management of resources are independent of each other. The diagnosis and assessment are provided by clinicians and professionals from both Health & Social Services and Education, Sport & Culture and the process is audited against recent National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance. Children receive a diagnosis of Autism when they meet all the relevant criteria. |
19 | There is no evidence of formal criteria to assess a family’s need for respite care, nor a written down Departmental policy with regard to how respite care should be accessed and delivered. Eligibility for respite is currently assessed through professional judgement and the severity of the family situation, which in times of respite shortage has meant that families are forced to breaking point to access services. [Section 5.9] | The Minister notes the comments and accepts the value of being able to establish a framework for clear access criteria. In order to achieve this, resources will be deployed to investigate ‘best practice’ in UK authorities, in order to then establish a framework for Jersey, so that a written departmental policy can be ratified by the end of 2012. |
20 | Information about what respite services are available and how to access them is minimal, hard to find and poorly signposted by professionals. The Panel was told that the Department seeks to avoid unnecessary intrusion into people’s lives. However, this approach was felt to be a barrier to some families gaining access to services at an earlier stage. [Section 5.10] | The Minister recognises that her department should be more proactive and inform the public about available service provision, whilst taking into account that there is a balance to be struck, to avoid unnecessary intrusion into people’s lives. Work is currently under way on developing Communication and Engagement Strategies (Recommendation 4 of ‘Children’s Services – Improvement Plan 2012-2013’) for all areas of service provision and the particular needs in this area will be a key component. |
21 | Social Workers currently assigned to work with families of children with special needs are held in very high regard. However, there is a lack of Social Workers available to support those parents of children with special needs. [Section 5.11] | The Minister is pleased to acknowledge and endorse the value of staff in this area and notes the comment about level of service provision. Further comment on this issue is given in the response to Recommendation 22. |
22 | Whilst Oakwell is currently providing a good service in terms of quality of care, the Panel is concerned that the physical environment fails to meet modern day standards. [Section 6.1] | Work is currently under way, alongside Jersey Property Holdings, to review all physical residential environments for children and young people within Children’s Services (as per Recommendation 21 of CS – Improvement Plan). The Minister undertakes to ensure that all ‘respite’ provision is included in that review and monies to improve the children’s services estate, which including respite provision, have been requested via the Capital element of the States Medium Term Financial Plan. |
23 | The Panel was advised that when Eden House was constructed in 2004, it would not have passed UK inspection according to the minimum criteria laid down for Children’s Homes that relate specifically to health and safety criteria for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and emotional and behavioural difficulties. The current refurbishment aims to address these key issues. However, the building is only suitable for primary-school aged children, not the adolescent group that is currently using it. [Section 6.2] | Please refer to comments under ‘22’ above – this review will also look at Eden House and the current and on-going needs of their client group. |
24 | There are less adult respite facilities compared to children’s facilities, and those that exist sometimes compromise the wellbeing of the client to cope with the existing provision. [Section 6.3] | It is agreed that there are less residential respite beds available; however, as identified in 11 above, there is a broader ‘range’ of services available for adults. These services reduce the need for a higher number of residential beds. Where there are concerns that any of the current provision would compromise the well-being of an individual, it is expected that this will be addressed through the re-tendering process, currently under way. This process is fully supported by representation from the Carers Association, with parents represented on the Panel. |
25 | Parents highlighted the importance of continuity in terms of staff caring for their children. The Panel recognises the importance of having appropriately trained staff to care for children and young people with special needs in any setting – public or private. [Section 7.2] | The Minister notes and accepts the comments made. |
| Recommendations | To | Accept/ Reject | Comments | Target date of action/ completion |
| The Minister for Health and Social Services should ensure the following – | | | | |
1 | That demand is properly assessed by undertaking research aimed at identifying all families who would benefit from respite care. [Section 3.1] | | Accepted | Presently Community & Social Services commission specialist advice and support from Richard Mills, Director of Research with the National Autistic Society. Richard Mills has agreed to support this essential work in order to consider the most appropriate way to establish the data required to establish need, and then to support agencies in obtaining the required data. This can be achieved within the existing contract, which is already in place. | Qtr 4 2012 |
2 | That the Department adopts a more proactive approach to assessing demand and develops a range of early intervention programmes to avoid families reaching crisis point. This would prevent disruption to the respite service and to other families receiving regular respite. [Section 3.2] | | Accepted | The Department will be developing a range of ‘early intervention programmes’ as described in the white paper ‘Caring for each other, caring for ourselves’, which is going to be laid before the States for approval in autumn 2012. There will also be a review of the delivery of social work services to focus on priority areas. – this will include the configuration of social work teams, use of Family Support Workers within families, and the method of delivery of respite care / outreach work. | 2013 on. Qtr 3 2012 |
3 | An information management system is developed to capture the needs of the island’s families who care for children with special needs. This data is captured from existing sources of knowledge (i.e. healthcare and education professionals). Consideration is given to using the next Social Survey to gather comprehensive information about individuals with special needs. [Section 3.3] | | Accepted | (cross-reference with Recommendations 2 & 11 of the ‘Children’s Services – Improvement Plan 2012-2013’) The above referenced document already has two associated recommendations that seek to establish a ‘framework’ for collecting, collating, monitoring and developing performance, within all areas of children’s services. The Minister undertakes to ensure that the needs of families who care for children with special needs will be a key part of that development. There are potential data protection and ‘rights’ issues which will have to be explored in terms of using ‘existing sources of knowledge’, but the principle is accepted and the work on the ‘information management system’ will be progressed as outlined above. The Minister is supportive of seeking to utilise the next Social Survey to gather the suggested data but would highlight the fact that this could only be done on a ‘consensual’ basis and there may be individuals and families who would not wish to disclose this sensitive information. The Minister undertakes to ask CPG to approve a request to those organising the next Social Survey, so this can be considered for inclusion. | Qtr 4 2012 TBA CPG Meeting: 27.07.12 |
4 | Residential and other respite services, including outreach, for both children and adults are fit for purpose and able to cater to both current and future demand. [Section 4.8] | | Comment | The Minister believes that the key issues identified in this report are likely to be supported and enhanced by findings from the Action for Children Review that she has initiated, and which will be reporting back by the end of June 2012. The Minister undertakes to develop an appropriate action plan for addressing agreed recommendations, from across these two reports, which will be presented to CPG for integration within the Children’s Services – Improvement Plan 2012-2013. Ultimately, the quality and quantity of resources available will be determined by the States Assembly’s allocation of resources in the medium term financial plan, due to be debated in November. | End June‘12 CPG Meeting: 27.07.12 October 2012 |
5 | A formal partnership is entered into with the main third sector organisations in order to deliver the necessary improvements to the range of respite services available to users. [Section 4.11] | | Accepted | As stated above, the Minister believes that Action for Children are likely to be very supportive of third sector involvement and anticipates that their recommendations will identify areas which her officers will be able to develop alongside existing and future third sector partners. Comment - (cross-referenced with Recommendation 12 of the ‘Children’s Services – Improvement Plan 2012-2013’) There is already a commitment to ‘develop a comprehensive commissioning strategy for children’s services’ and the Minister undertakes to include and integrate any agreed needs identified in this specialist area. | Qtr 4 2012 Qtr 4 2012 |
6 | The Community and Social Services Department is properly resourced and staffed accordingly to meet both current and future demand. [Section 4.16] | | Comment | The quality and quantity of resources available will be determined by the States Assembly’s allocation of resources in the medium term financial plan. The Minister will set out her proposals in the White Paper and will seek the Assembly’s support to meet both current and future demand, due to be debated in the Autumn. | |
7 | Emergency care facilities are identified as soon as possible to reduce the strain on respite care homes. This is especially important for young people with autism who are more likely to become difficult to manage in the home during adolescence. [Section 4.17] | | Comment | Action for Children will be delivering their report shortly. In addition to this, Community & Social Services is working with Jersey Property Holdings to review all of its buildings to clarify the future needs for service delivery. This will include any provision for specialist respite care, as well as addressing the needs of young people requiring long term care. | End June’12 Qtr 3/4 2012 |
8 | Plans are prioritised for alternative sites for long-term care, and are in place as soon as possible. Any provision to take into account an expansion of demand and be able to cater for multiple crisis scenarios occurring at any one time. [Section 4.18] | | Comment | Comments in 7 above are relevant to these issues, and in addition there will be specific plans to deal with any immediate situation which may require UK placement. As pointed out when the Minister gave evidence to the Panel, maintaining and staffing a ‘separate’ facility for ‘emergency care’ does not present value for money and will remain a significant challenge for a small island jurisdiction. This said, the Minister accepts that this is the area we now need to address. Developments around ‘professional carers’, ‘family link’ or ‘linked families’ are all initiatives that will be explored and may offer more effective solutions. | |
9 | Transition planning starts as early as possible and Children’s and Adult’s Services communicate better to ensure services do not “drop off” at 18 years. Ultimately, all children with special needs to have a personal care plan and individualised wraparound budgets that follow them throughout their lives to ensure the transition period is as seamless as possible. [Section 4.19] | | Accepted | Presently a senior officer within Community & Social Services is commissioned with reviewing the existing Transition Policy, alongside key partner agencies, with an aim to improve both the process and the communication required at this critical time for families and individual young people. With the inception of the H&SS White Paper, and work streams across the children, adult and older adult service areas, there is a proposal for an additional social worker within the Adult Social Work Service to provide a lead on transition planning. Whilst the Minister recognises the benefits of individualised wraparound budgets she would emphasise that this will require the support and co-operation of a number of other relevant States departments. | Qtr 3 2012 Qtr 4 2012 |
10 | Close working with other government and third sector organisations is undertaken to further develop the range of services available for young adults with special needs. Good relationships with local employers are fostered to ensure that there are opportunities for young adults with special needs to make a contribution to society. [Section 4.21] | | Accepted | Community & Social Services has, for many years, been an active participant in the Jersey Joint Secretariat for People with Special Needs. As a multi agency forum this has provided a good opportunity to ensure that there is both good relationships and close working across all relevant States Departments and partner agencies, in both the private and third sectors. This forum has played a positive role in actively supporting significant developments within both employment services and adult education services; to enhance the opportunities available to young adults with disabilities. C&SS are committed to continue to provide positive involvement with this forum, and are actively involved in its present endeavours to improve its role and purpose. | On-going |
11 | The parent’s ability to work and care for their family is supported as much as possible and resources for adult respite care and outreach are increased where appropriate. [Section 4.22] | | Accepted | As previously indicated, in recent years C&SS has been successful in acquiring appropriate resources to establish a framework of effective short break services. These include residential respite beds; outreach services; specialist sitting services; and specialist support for people with complex and challenging behaviour. C&SS is presently completing its review of these services and the second tendering process for the continuation of this comprehensive range of essential services is under way. This process is supported by representation from the Carers Association and the States of Jersey Procurement Department. Along with this, there are significant developments within Adult Day Services, available through Community & Social Services. This includes the completion of a process of consultation with service users, culminating in the recently published ‘Heartfelt’ report - ‘The Big Say’. The aim is to improve the quality and range of support services available to people who rely on essential day time respite services. | On-going |
12 | A standalone ‘Transition Team’ is established to help parents and children navigate the difficult journey from Children’s to Adult Services. [Section 4.23] | | Comment | As indicated in Recommendation 9: Presently a senior officer within Community & Social Services is reviewing the existing Transition Policy along with key partner agencies including ESC. The aim is to improve both the transistion process and the communication at what is a critical time for families and individual young people. Whilst the Minister acknowledges the need to improve the process and is committed to doing so, the Minister is reluctant to create another ‘stand alone’ team. Doing so would, in effect, simply create an additional third transition point for service users (ie. From Children’s service to transition team to adults services) | |
13 | Where a childcare ratio is 2:1 or above within the school or respite facility, support is tailored to reflect that additional need in the home environment. [Section 4.24] | | Comment | All support packages, whether within school or the family home, result from a thorough assessment process. It is recognised that the school environment is very different to the family home, and it is not always necessary to replicate support from one environment to another. Support packages need to be based on the recommendations from the assessment process | |
14 | Resources are identified to fund more holiday club provision, in conjunction with the third sector and Mont à l’Abbé School. [Section 4.24] | | Comment | The delivery of holiday club provision is currently organised through Education, Sport & Culture. Discussion will take place between ESC and H&SS to address the adequacy of current provision. | Qtr 3/4 2012 |
15 | Community care legislation is brought in to safeguard the rights of vulnerable children and young adults with regard to respite and other support services. [Section 5.1] | | Accepted | The Minister advises that CPG has initiated a structure of ‘delivery groups’ to bring forward appropriate proposals under their ‘Children and Young People’s Strategic Framework’ initiative, one of which is a ‘Performance and Planning Group’. One of their key responsibilities is to ‘lead on development of initiatives which cut across all six working groups’ and one of the areas already agreed for development is a ‘legal review’. The Minister undertakes to ensure the highlighted issues are considered by this group for future legislative development. | Qtr 1 2013 |
16 | A Common Assessment Framework is introduced to make assessment quicker and easier to understand, and to ensure that all relevant parties are involved at each stage. The Record of Need is strengthened to ensure the overall needs of the child are met, as well as the educational needs. [Section 5.5] | | Comment | (cross-referenced with Recommendation 17 of the ‘Children’s Services – Improvement Plan 2012-2013’) There is already a commitment to ‘develop an Island Assessment Framework’ and a pilot project has been commissioned for commencement in September this year. This work is being undertaken under the umbrella of the CPG, with Community & Social Services working closely alongside the Jersey Child Protection Committee. The outcome of this pilot will be evaluated and appropriate recommendations submitted to CPG in due course. The Children’s Complex & Additional Needs Team commits to working with colleagues in Education, Sport and Culture to explore opportunities for strengthening individual Records of Need, as they are produced and reviewed, by that department. | Sept. 2012 Qtr 3/4 2012 |
17 | Community and Social Services are re-named Community Services as part of a wider programme of communication about services available to members of the community. [Section 5.7] | | Rejected | The Minister has given thought to this proposal but would point out that many other government and third sector/parochial providers also deliver ‘community services’, with varying definitions of what may constitute those services. | |
18 | Advocacy services are established to help parents navigate the referral process and to access respite. [Section 5.7] | | Accepted | The Minister anticipates similar proposals from Action for Children and awaits their recommendations concerning the possible remit, availability and funding options for a third sector provider to be active in this area of work. | Qtr 3/4 2012 |
19 | The current criteria for diagnosing children with autism are clarified. The financial consequences are not the determining factor when deciding the level of respite required by a diagnosis. Resources are increased to allow respite providers to respond to new clients as appropriate. [Section 5.8] | | Comment | As noted in response to Finding 18, the Minister strongly refutes the notion that diagnosis is delayed on financial grounds. The diagnostic process and management of resources are independent of each other. The diagnosis and assessment are provided by clinicians and professionals from both Health & Social Services and Education, Sport & Culture and the process is audited against recent National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance. Children receive a diagnosis of Autism when they meet all the relevant criteria. | |
20 | There is: a) a formal policy outlining their approach to respite care and b) a set of detailed guidelines for professional ‘gatekeepers’ charged with assessment and referral. [Section 5.9] | | Accepted | Action for Children will be asked to work with key service managers to develop the necessary policy and guidance, ensuring that it meets current national ‘best practice’. | Qtr 3/4 2012 |
21 | A communications strategy is developed to outline all the respite support services available to parents and how to access them. This information is to be made freely available to all families caring for children with special need, as well as being uploaded to the Gov.je website and disseminated to all health professionals, educational establishments and parent support groups. [Section 5.10] | | Accepted | (cross-referenced with Recommendation 4 of the ‘Children’s Services – Improvement Plan 2012-2013’) Following developments from the recent Service Improvement Plan, a working group has been established to develop a communication and engagement strategy for all areas of Children’s Services. | Qtr 4 2012 |
22 | At least 1 x additional full-time Social Worker post assigned specifically to children with special needs is created. Equally, additional Support Worker posts for this user group are created to relieve the burden on Social Workers’ workloads. [Section 5.11] | | Comment | The Minister is awaiting the report from Action for Children which will comment on the provision of services in this area. There is a further internal assessment of the delivery of social work services across the whole of the Children’s Services. This will make recommendations for the future allocation of social work resources. | Qtr 3 2012 |
23 | The future of Oakwell is decided in terms of refurbishing the current site, or constructing a new purpose-built facility in an alternative location in conjunction with the third sector. Any plans should take into account the rising demand for respite care. [Section 6.1] | | Accepted | A recent report has reviewed the buildings across certain areas of Children’s Service and has commented on their suitability. This process will now be extended to include the facility at Oakwell. This will ensure an independent assessment of the building at Oakwell and will highlight specific recommendations for future provision. | Qtr 4 2012 |
24 | Future residential developments for any group with special needs must take into account minimum environmental standards in the early planning stages. The health and safety of staff and residents is not compromised by cost-cutting measures. [Section 6.2] | | Accepted | Since 2008, Community & Social Services has made significant progress on its strategy to improve the estate available for service provision. This has resulted in the closure of a number of existing properties, and the commissioning of a variety of more appropriate housing options. This strategy has also identified significant capital investment for the period 2013–2015 for new build accommodation. Negotiations are also presently underway with both the Housing Department and Jersey Property Holdings in relation to appropriate developments. | 2013 - 2015 |
25 | Risk management for adult respite services are managed according to the needs of the individual rather than to the facility. Clients of differing abilities, ages and genders who are occupying the same residential area should be appropriately risk managed at all times. [Section 6.3] | | Accepted | Within Community & Social Services, there are robust processes in place for risk assessment. This is imperative due to the complex nature of the people who rely upon the appropriate services. Any concerns about potential risk to specific adults, are addressed through the social work assessment of need, in liaison with the Adult Respite Co-ordinator, and the relevant provider. | |
gov.je