Ministerial Decision Report
Initiatives that support vulnerable children: Children’s Change Programme; PPU growth; development of a sexual assault referral centre
Section 1: Introduction
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).
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 in December 2016.
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. Those initiatives, as set out in Section 2 below, include:
- Children’s Change programme
- Public Protection Unit (PPU) growth
- Development of a sexual assault referral centre
The cost of nine initiatives agreed by the Council of Minister does not represent the total contingency allocation (see Section 4 below). The Council of Ministers therefore 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 will consult with CAVA Ministers[1] about the initiatives to be funded from the remaining allocation.
The nine initiatives agreed to date are all time critical, hence the decision to agree their funding ahead of the Chief Minister requesting release of all the contingency allocation.
Section 2: Overview of agreed initiatives
A summary of the nine initiatives agreed by the Council of Ministers is set out below.
1. Early Help Approach (Education Department)
A holistic assessment of the children and family, focusing on strengths and needs, completed with the family. It ensures that families tell their story only once and enables practitioners from different agencies to deliver a co-ordinated multi-agency response to needs. The focus is on early intervention. |
Recommendation | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total |
Bull / SIP / SCR | £85,000 | £85,000 | £85,000 | £255,000 |
2. Children’s Change Programme (Community and Constitutional Affairs Department)
Ensure capacity to drive and deliver change across the children’s agenda (SoJ services + external providers). Includes developing and co-ordinating response to IJCI; strategic planning; developing of appropriate legislative base in order to protect vulnerable children and enhance their life chances. |
Recommendation | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total |
IJCI / Williamson | £168,850 | £185,900 | £185,900 | £540,650 |
3. Additional staffing for Public Protection Unit – PPU (Police)
Enable SoJP to recruit new child abuse investigators. Since 2010, PPU staffing has remained static at 6 investigators and demand now outstrips capacity (31cases in 2011 to 85 in 2015) |
Recommendation | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total |
IJCI/Op Whistle | £120,000 | £120,000 | £120,000 | £360,000 |
4: Development of Sexual Assault Referral Centre (Police)
Jersey currently lacks a SARC. SARC’s provide holistic service to victims of rape or sexual assault, irrespective of age, on the journey to recovery by providing an immediate health and care response with access to criminal justice services, safeguarding services and integrated follow up (erg: Victim Crisis Therapist; Service Co-ordinator; Medical Forensic examination & storage (non CJS); utilities & running costs). |
Recommendation | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total |
SCR/IJCI | £130,000 | £150,000 | £150,000 | £430,000 |
5 – 8 Development of Youth Enquiry Service – YES (Education Department)
To support development of services provided to particular cohorts of vulnerable or potentially vulnerable young people. To include: 1 counsellor to support young people to deal with trauma and stress; 0.5 youth worker to support young carers; 0.5 youth worker to support young people to explore issues relating to sexuality and gender; 1 youth worker to focus on Adolescent to parent violence and abuse (APVA) and child sexual exploitation. |
Recommendation | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total |
ED/ SCR | £180,000 | £180,000 | £180,000 | £540,000 |
9: Enhanced MASH resourcing (Health and Social Services Department)
MASH is the mechanism via which Jersey identifies and responds to children who are in need or at risk. In order for the MASH to make timely, effective decisions it must receive good data and information from services. Additional funding is required to allow information to be gather from across the various systems used in primary and secondary health care and provide an analysis to support decision-making. |
Recommendation | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £47,500 | £135,000 |
Section 3: Description of Children’s Change programme, PPU Growth, Sexual Referral Centre initiatives
Children’s Change Programme
To purpose of this funding is to ensure that there is additional capacity to drive forward and deliver change across the children’s agenda. Activities will include:
- responding to the recommendations of the Jersey Independent Care Inquiry (IJCI)
- development and delivery of a strategic children’s plan, incorporating IJCI recommendations where relevant
- developing an updated legislative base in order to protect vulnerable children and enhance their life chances
What will success look like:
- The government of Jersey will have a fit-for-purpose legislative framework to support projection of vulnerable child and enhance life changes.
- The government of Jersey will take effective action in response to ICJI recommendations, implementing measures that better protect vulnerable children in our community. We will be able to demonstrate that those actions deliver positive change.
- The government of Jersey will have in place a children’s plan and associated structures that support better collective decision-making across all agencies that deliver services for children. We will know where to invest monies for best effect and what actions to take across the whole system in order to:
- better prevent children and families becoming vulnerable in first instance
- respond effectively and in a timely manner to arising needs.
The Children’s Change programme is an initiative of the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department, hence the Home Affairs Minister, with the agreement of the Council of Ministers, is requesting the Treasury and Resources Minister to approve the non-recurring budget transfer of £168,850 in 2017, £185,900 in 2018 and £185,900 in 2019 from central contingency to the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department revenue head of expenditure.
SoJP Public Protection Unit
During the last 5 years there has been a steady increase in reported sexual assaults & abuse – by both adults and children. This is due to a number of factors including National media exposure following death of Jimmy Savile in October 2011 and the subsequent National Operation Hydrant – local Operation Whistle. The IJCI has also had an impact in victims coming forward to report abuse. In addition, both the Police and LOD have been working on a joint rape action plan during the last 2 years in order to drive up performance. This has led to increased trust and confidence by victims in coming forward and reporting sexual violence.
Although remaining an under reported crime, overall reported sexual offences to the SoJP has increased from 65 in 2011 to 150 in 2015 – an increase of 85 or +130%. Specifically, in relation to reported sexual offences against under 18s have also increased over the same period from 31 to 82 – an increase of 51 or 164%.
These offences by their very nature are complex and often time consuming. There has been no growth to the SoJP budget over the same period and against backdrop of MTFP savings, the required growth in capacity cannot be found from within existing budget. Due to current demand, in particular through the work of Op Whistle, 2 unfunded officers are working as part of this team, but this position is not sustainable into 2017 and beyond.
What will success look like:
In order to meet the increased demands of reported child abuse (including historical) – both sexual and physical, the SoJP do require 2 additional Child Abuse Investigators in order to provide the best possible support to victims, secure evidence and bring offenders to justice.
The growth in PPU is an initiative of the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department, hence the Home Affairs Minister, with the agreement of the Council of Ministers, is requesting the Treasury and Resources Minister to approve the non-recurring budget transfer of £120k in 2017, £120k in 2018 and £120k in 2019 from central contingency to the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department revenue head of expenditure.
Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)
The dual benefits of dedicated services for the health and wellbeing of victims of sexual violence and delivery of justice are considerable. Such a service will provide clients with the opportunity for high quality health care, independent sexual violence advice and the opportunity for forensic medical examination and sampling.
There are also significant knock on benefits to society. Research shows that sexual violence may have life-long psychological consequences which may impact economic ability. The long term effects of sexual violence are associated with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, drug and substance misuse, self- harm and suicide, all of which result in need for costly health, social care and police interventions.
Jersey currently has no SARC and significant gaps in service provision in this area.
What will success look like:
SARCs offer benefits for the victim, the health service and the criminal
justice process. These benefits include:
- a high standard of victim care, and high levels of victim satisfaction;
- an improved standard of forensic evidence;
- the provision of mental and sexual health services in the SARC increases the likelihood that the client will access the treatment
- they need and reduces the immediate and future burden on the health service;
- specialist staff, trained in caring for victims of sexual violence;
- the opportunity for victims, if they wish, to access these services as self-referrals, without any involvement from the police;
- the potential to bring more offenders to justice on the basis of better evidence, fewer withdrawals because of better victim care, increased reporting and access to intelligence from self-referrals;
- the development of a centre of excellence and expertise, providing advice, training, and support to local health practitioners, Police and Law Officers Department involved in this work and relieving pressure on police;
- Strong links with the voluntary sector, enabling a seamless provision of care for victims and the sharing of information and good practice.
The development of a Jersey SARC is an initiative of the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department, hence the Home Affairs Minister, with the agreement of the Council of Ministers, is requesting the Treasury and Resources Minister to approve the non-recurring budget transfer of £130k in 2017, £150k in 2018 and £150k in 2019 from central contingency to the Community and Constitutional Affairs Department revenue head of expenditure.
Section 4: Financial implications
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 (£1.65million per year totals £4,950,000 over the period from 2017 to 2019).
The financial and resource implications of the Children’s Change programme, PPU growth and development of a sexual assault are set out in Table 1. The financial and resource implications of all nine initiatives, as agreed by the Council of Ministers on 9 November and as listed in Section 2 above, are set out in Table 2.
Table 1: Children’s Change Programme, PPU growth and development of a sexual assault referral centre
| | | | | | |
| Children’s Change Programme | PPU Growth | Sexual assault referral centre | Annual total (up to) | Description of costs | New headcount required (over and above departmental allocation) |
2017 | £168,850 | £120,000 | £130,000 | £418,850 | Staffing, overhead and project costs | No |
2018 | £185,900 | £120,000 | £150,000 | £455,900 | Staffing, overhead and project costs | No |
2019 | £185,900 | £120,000 | £150,000 | £455,900 | Staffing, overhead and project costs | No |
Total | £540,650 | £360,000 | £430,000 | | | |
Table 2: Projects agreed to date
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Total over three-year period |
Projects agreed by COM on 9 November | £723,850 | £768,400 | £768,400 | £2,260,650 |
Total MTFP allocation over three year period | £4,950,000 |
Remaining allocation from central contingencies | £2,689,350 |
In addition to agreeing the nine initiatives set out in Section 2, the Council of Ministers also agreed to delegate to the Chief Minister the decision to request the Treasury and Resources Minister to fund other initiatives from the remaining contingency allocation (£ £2,689,350 in total). The Council agreed that, prior to making that request to the Treasury and Resources Minister, the Chief Minister should:
- consult with CAVA Ministers[2] about the initiatives to be funded from the remaining contingency allocation and
- review those initiatives against the IJCI recommendation, where required.
gov.je