Safeguarding and Immigration Risk Assessments

Subject: FOI Request – Safeguarding and Immigration Risk Assessments

Dear FOI Officer,

Under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011, I request the following information:

1. Since January 2021, has the Government of Jersey, the Home Affairs Department, or any related agency conducted any safeguarding risk assessments related to the recruitment of overseas workers from countries with high rates of gender-based violence, FGM, or culturally regressive attitudes toward women and children?

2. Has the Government received any reports, complaints, or safeguarding concerns (formal or informal) involving individuals on temporary work permits during this period?

3. Has any guidance, policy, or internal communication been issued regarding safeguarding or cultural risk specifically linked to increased immigration from Islamic-majority countries or countries such as Kenya?

4. Have any meetings, emails, or correspondence occurred between Government departments and private recruitment agencies (e.g. GR8 Recruitment) discussing the safeguarding, screening, or cultural integration of overseas workers?

5. Has the Government of Jersey, or any of its departments, contacted any UK police forces, safeguarding boards, or local authorities (e.g. Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford) for advice, guidance, or insight on the known safeguarding risks associated with immigration cultures with regressive attitudes to women and children such as seen in the grooming gangs scandals?

1.

No specific safeguarding risk assessments on gender-based violence, FGM, or culturally regressive attitudes, have been conducted by the Justice and Home Affairs Department relating to overseas workers since January 2021.  Where any specific safeguarding concerns exist, country policy and information notes published by the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) - Country policy and information notes - GOV.UK – may be used to inform decision-making processes on a case-by-case basis.  

The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel conducted a Review of Work Permit Holder Welfare in 2023.  Actions and recommendations arising from that report have been implemented as appropriate. 

2.

Yes, information is regularly received through a variety of means and is acted upon on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate agency.

3.

No specific guidance, policy or communication has been issued regarding safeguarding or cultural risks from those countries.   

4.

Correspondence and contact between Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (JCIS) and a wide range of employers, including recruitment agencies, occurs on a regular and routine basis.  The Jersey Work Permit Policy​ sets out the requirements on employers and employees to ensure fair and ethical recruitment, and expectations relating to employment practices, wages and accommodation.

​5.

JCIS regularly liaises with the UK Home Office in respect of a wide range of immigration topics, including modern day slavery and migrant exploitation. ​