Violence Against Women and Girls: Annual Progress Report

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ...................................................... 2

Ministerial Foreword ...................................................... 3

Introduction ............................................................ 4

Update on the progress of implementing the VAWG Taskforce recommendations .......... 4

Conventions .......................................................... 4

Legislative Reform ..................................................... 5

Data Development ..................................................... 7

Independent Reviews.................................................... 8

Further Reviews and Governance.......................................... 10

Health ............................................................. 16

R.88/2025Support Provision ............................................ 17

Awareness Campaigns ................................................. 22

Education ........................................................... 24

Further Research ..................................................... 26

Training ............................................................ 26

VAWG Recommendation Overview .......................................... 30

Glossary of Abbreviations.................................................. 32

Executive Summary

Status of Recommendations

This report offers a comprehensive overview  of the progress made on the 77  recommendations put forward by the  Violence Against Women and Girls  Taskforce. These recommendations were  issued to the Government of Jersey and its  key partners as part of efforts to tackle  violence against women and girls in Jersey.  

Please note that updates on  recommendations not directed at the  government have been provided by non- government representatives, displaying a  collaborative approach and highlighting  contributions from key stakeholders.  

Status of Recommendations Split by Category

Ministerial Foreword

This first annual report highlights the efforts made by the Government of Jersey and its partners in addressing the recommendations of the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce report.

In the Government Plan 2024–2027, we committed to the annual publication of our progress towards meeting the recommendations of the VAWG Taskforce. This report provides updates on the progress made in addressing those recommendations.

I believe that this report demonstrates significant progress towards meeting our commitment to implement the recommendations, as well as our work towards embedding a comprehensive approach in all our future strategies and initiatives to tackle VAWG, as recommended in recommendation 72 of the VAWG Taskforce report.

I believe that we can be proud of the progress achieved so far, but there is considerable work ahead to achieve lasting change, and we remain committed to seeing through the implementation of all the recommendations.

Most importantly, the Taskforce identified that VAWG in Jersey was a hidden problem', and that this lack of awareness, or lack of priority, was a fundamental aspect of the problem that needed to be addressed to effectively understand and address the issue. My hope is that this annual report, and those that follow it, will serve to ensure that the issue remains at the forefront of our minds.

I commend the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the work to address VAWG in Jersey, and I believe that this is reflected in the achievements detailed below.

Deputy Mary Le Hegarat

Minister for Justice and Home Affairs

9 June, 2025

Introduction

In 2022, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs established an independent Taskforce composed of diverse stakeholders to address the pressing issue of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Jersey. The Taskforce conducted extensive research with victim-survivors, children and young people, professional services, and the public to gain a deeper understanding of VAWG in Jersey.

In November 2023, the VAWG Taskforce published the The issue of violence against women and girls in Jersey'[1] report, which outlined 77 recommendations to tackle the identified issues. Of these, 58 recommendations were directed at the Government of Jersey, while 19 targeted other key partners. These recommendations aim to reduce violence against women and girls in all its forms and enhance support for victim-survivors. Following the report's release, the Chief Minister accepted all recommendations directed at Government.

In March 2024, as part of a broader programme to address VAWG in Jersey, the Government committed to publishing annual updates on progress toward implementing all 77 recommendations. Since then, the Government of Jersey and key partners have actively worked towards the delivery and evaluation of all recommendations. This report provides an updated summary of the progress made towards implementing of the recommendations outlined in the VAWG Taskforce's report.

Update on the progress of implementing the VAWG Taskforce recommendations

For clarity and accessibility, the progress of the recommendations outlined in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce report has been organised into specific categories: conventions, legislative development, data, independent reviews, further reviews and governance, health, support provision, awareness campaigns, education, further research, and training.

Conventions

In Progress

Recommendation 1: The Government of Jersey should seek extension of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence 2013 (the Istanbul Convention).

Officers notified the UK Home Office of the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs' (MJHA's) intention to seek extension the Istanbul Convention,[2] formerly known as the Council of Europe Convention, to Jersey to prevent and combat violence against women and girls. Officers have been assured that the process can begin on the understanding that the necessary work is underway.

To comply with the convention, development of recommendations 3, 24, and 28 are underway.

Discussions concerning additional matters of compliance are also ongoing with the Home Office, and any further requirements will be addressed in due course.

Legislative Reform

In Progress

As part of the work towards extending the Istanbul Convention to Jersey, work is currently underway to fulfil:

Recommendation 24: Emergency barring orders should be re-introduced into the Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022.

An accountability mechanism for the use of emergency barring orders by the police service should be established in their design.

Recommendation 28: Stalking should be named as an offence in Jersey legislation.

Officers have prepared law drafting instructions to incorporate the proposed amendments into the Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022.[3] These amendments include the introduction of emergency barring notices and emergency barring orders, which will allow the police to intervene in abusive relationships at the pre-conviction stage.

Additionally, officers are currently developing draft legislation to introduce a standalone "Stalking and Harassment" Law. This proposed legislation aims to establish a specific offence of stalking, intended to address both physical and cyberstalking behaviours, and introduce Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs).

Further legislative development recommendations are: In Progress

Recommendation 8: The Government of Jersey should strengthen legislation to combat sexual harassment and misogynistic behaviour towards women and girls in public spaces. In doing so, the Government of Jersey should draw on the recent work of Scotland and the UK to inform its approach on how best to improve women's safety in the public sphere.

Officers have submitted law drafting instructions to enhance measures against sexual harassment in public spaces to the law drafter.

The current proposal includes the introduction of a new offence, aligned with the Sex-based Harassment in the Public Bill' in England and Wales.

In Progress

Recommendation 10: The Government of Jersey should ensure that similar protections to those afforded by the UK Online Safety Bill, in relation to the regulation of online platforms to ensure they are protecting their users, are brought in through other means.

The Minister for Sustainable Economic Development (MSED) approved the approach to enhance the regulatory powers of an existing Jersey regulator in support of victims of online harms to enable prompt removal of harmful materials.

Removing unlawful or intimidating content from online spaces effectively and making platforms responsible for their content has become a major concern of legislators around the world. Several jurisdictions have recently adopted legislation addressing this issue: the UK adopted the Online Safety Act (formerly Online Harms Bill), the EU passed the Digital Services Act (DSA), both applicable only since 2024, Australia adopted the Online Safety Act in 2021, while proposals for comparable laws are in development in Canada and New Zealand.  

This legal area is new and fast moving for all jurisdictions around the world. It is understood from meetings with relevant enforcement bodies and regulators from these jurisdictions that while most of these laws are very comprehensive, regulators struggle to provide timely relief to victims of online harms, primarily due to the complexity of these laws.

Based on lessons learnt and best practices, a legislative framework that is proportionate and effective for Jersey is in development. The aim is to empower a person exposed to online harms to effectively request the removal of the harmful content from the platform. Where that does not happen in a timely manner, the respective person should have the right to address a complaint to Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC). Discussions are underway with JOIC and the Law Officer's Department to define which additional enforcement powers JOIC might need to enable them to provide relief for victims faster and more effectively.

In Progress

Recommendation 11: The Government of Jersey should review and strengthen the current legal framework to better protect islanders from online and technology-facilitated abuse. In particular, we recommend that the following should be considered:

• The criminalisation of cyber flashing and the use of deep fakes.

• The problem and evidential burden of motivation thresholds that require proof of intention to cause distress or gain sexual gratification.

• The criminalisation of different forms of tech-facilitated abuse, including cyberstalking

Legislative drafting instructions intended to strengthen the current legal framework for online and technology facilitated abuse have been passed to the Legislative Drafting Office. Officers have received the first draft from the Legislative Drafter and are actively working with them to agree the approach. The current intention is to introduce new offences related to intimate image abuse into the Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 2018. These include:

• Making intimate images without consent

• Distributing intimate images without consent

• Threatening to distribute intimate images

• Unsolicited sending of pornographic content to another person

• Making sexually explicit deep fake images without consent

Cyberstalking is addressed within the scope of the proposed new "Stalking and Harassment" Law.

In Progress

Recommendation 25: Non-fatal strangulation should be named as a standalone offence.

Guidance on the evidentiary basis for proving non-fatal strangulation should be issued alongside the offence.

Strangulation is already a customary offence in Jersey as a form of assault. Non-fatal strangulation within domestic abuse contexts has emerged as a focal point for researchers and legislators, increasingly acknowledged as a prevalent method of coercive control. Officers are currently developing drafting instructions for the new standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation to be shared with the Law Officer's Department and the Legislative Drafting Office.

By agreement, LOD will be reporting on the progress of the guidance on the evidential requirement for the new offence of non-fatal strangulation separately.

Data Development

A number of recommendations from the Taskforce regarding data collection and management were directed towards the Government of Jersey and its key partners.

In addition to recommendations 24 and 28, as part of the commitment to extend the Istanbul Convention to Jersey, work is currently underway to fulfil:  

In Progress

Recommendation 3: The Government of Jersey should undertake a review of all the data collected on VAWG across services, in order to measure the prevalence of VAWG on the island.

Following this work, further work should be undertaken to produce a future VAWG data development agenda and a centralised data set on VAWG that acts as a single source of truth for statutory, commissioned and third sector services.

Recommendation 14, 23 and 64 have been included in the implementation of recommendation 3. In Progress

Recommendation 14: The Government of Jersey and the States of Jersey Police should collect data on online and tech facilitated VAWG and track trends in the prevalence of this violence.

Awaiting Reporting

Recommendation 23: Sex disaggregated data on prosecution rates, acquittal rates and sentencing length should be published in one place.

Clear and simple information on the guiding principles and general rationale used to make sentencing decisions in Jersey should be published.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 64: An accurate and centralised dataset on Harmful Sexual Behaviour should be developed.

To fulfil these recommendations, the Government of Jersey has aligned the requirements of the VAWG dataset to comply with the Istanbul Convention Article 11.

Progress has been made in several key areas. Potential data contributors were surveyed to establish what data points they collect and how these can be mapped to the recommendations outlined in Article 11, with a core group of stakeholders identified for contribution to the dataset as follows:

- States of Jersey Police

- States of Jersey Prison Service

- Jersey Customs & Immigration Service

- Jersey Probation & Aftercare Service

- Jersey Domestic & Sexual Abuse Support

- Jersey Action Against Rape

- Dewberry House Sexual Assault Referral Centre

- Victims First

- Safeguarding Partnership Board

Anonymisation and disclosure control is implemented by stakeholders prior to contributing data to the dataset, data points are categorized under broader definitions through data classification or categorical data mapping ensuring that privacy and confidentiality are maintained at all times.

A database using synthetic data was created and tested as a proof of concept, validating this approach. This database is in development.

Ongoing support is being provided to the relevant stakeholders in the restructuring and anonymisation of data in preparation for them to contribute to the dataset, facilitating the assessment of key indicators such as the prevalence, incidence and conviction rates, and meaningful trends as data is collected quarterly over time.

CYPES has confirmed that the existing data collection process conducted via the Children and Families Hub meets the required standards for the Harmful Sexual Behaviour dataset. No further work to collect data on Harmful Sexual Behaviour is taking place as part of the implementation of recommendation 3.

The first dataset report is scheduled for publication in Q3 2025.

By agreement, LOD will be reporting on the progress of recommendation 23 separately.

Independent Reviews

The VAWG Taskforce recommended an independent review of the Jersey criminal justice system and the Jersey Family Court system to identify areas of improvement and showcase good practice.

In Progress

Recommendation 15: An independent review of the Jersey criminal justice system should be conducted in relation to domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual offences to determine whether current arrangements within the criminal justice system deliver the best outcomes for victims, defendants and justice.

An independent review of the Criminal Justice system is currently underway in relation to the response and management of cases involving domestic abuse, rape, and other forms of sexual assault. The purpose of the review is to work with key stakeholders across the criminal justice system to establish how the current arrangement can be improved to deliver better outcomes for victims, defendants and justice.

The appointed reviewer, Eleanor Laws KC, is considering the "victim's journey" from the point of initial complaint through to the point of Court disposal.

The entities in scope of the review are:

• Royal Court

• Magistrate's Court

• Criminal Division of the Law Officers' Department

• Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support

• Dewberry House SARC

• Victims First

• Jersey Probation and Aftercare Service

The review's methodology consists of the following:

• Case file analysis

• Interviews and focus groups with services involved in the criminal justice system.

• Interviews of victim-survivors with recent experience of the criminal justice system observations of trials and key meetings

Publication is scheduled for September 2025.

Separately, the States of Jersey Police have invited the Operation Soteria - Home Office Joint Unit to undertake a peer review of their service and response to RASSO investigations. The review took place in March 2025 and made a number of recommendations which will be incorporated into the force's transformation plan under Operation Soteria.

In Progress

Recommendation 29: Further research should be undertaken in the form of an independent review of the Family Court system, so that the prevalence and extent of the issues surfaced by the research of the Taskforce can be accurately characterised and understood.

This review should provide recommendations on areas for improvement and should also include a follow up review to monitor the progress that has been made by the Family Court system in Jersey.

An independent review of the Family Court system in Jersey will commence within 2025. This scheduling has been chosen to avoid running two independent reviews simultaneously in light of the complexity of managing such activity.

Officers are collaborating with the relevant stakeholders to finalise a terms of reference document, based on the methodology of Harm Panel report and work undertaken by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner in the UK.

Once the terms of reference are finalised and agreed upon, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, in collaboration and agreement with all relevant stakeholders, will appoint a suitable reviewer to commence the review.

Further Reviews and Governance

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 18: States of Jersey Police data on number of calls, who makes reports and what actions are taken should be reviewed to identify if there any differences in how the police service responds to reports made by men and women.

Analysis was undertaken by the States of Jersey Police to establish whether any disproportionality existed in respect of the type of action taken when women or men report incidents. No disproportionality of action against or in support of men or women was detected.

In Progress

Recommendation 19: Structure and staffing of IDVAs should be reviewed to ensure the service is adequately resourced to support victim-survivors in line with best practice.

Service offer and publicity of the IDVA service should be reviewed to ensure victim- survivors understand the support provisions that are available.

This review was conducted internally, with officers researching best practice standards of IDVA and ISVA services, involving in-depth correspondence and discussions with the leading accredited training providers for IDVAs and ISVAs, respectively, SafeLives and Lime Culture.

Officers also engaged with Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support (JDAS); to better understand the issues facing the service and how best they could be ameliorated to ensure best practice standards whilst adapting to the context of Jersey.

The findings are finalised and awaiting presentation to the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs for consideration.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 21: The decision-making process for accepting and rejecting applications for special measures should be reviewed.

The decision-making process in relation to special measures has been reviewed. All applications for special measures are accepted for consideration by the courts. None are rejected without giving reasons and the vast majority of applications for special measures are granted. The courts now encourage such applications to be made as soon as possible and, where appropriate, to be considered and decided on the papers by the Judge or Magistrate without a hearing so as to ensure that victims and witnesses are aware of the outcome of the application (usually its granting) as early as possible in the proceedings and as soon as possible after the application has been made.

Not Started

Recommendation 27: The Minister for Home Affairs should undertake a review of the Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022 within the first five years of its enactment with the objective of ascertaining whether or not this legislation has been able to achieve the consistent and successful prosecution of perpetrators of economic abuse.

If the legislation is not found to achieve this intended purpose, the legislation should be amended to ensure the successful prosecution of economic abuse.

A review of the Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022 is scheduled to commence in 2028.

By 2028, the legislation will have been in place for several years, enabling officers to thoroughly assess the impact prior to considering any further reform.

 In Progress

Recommendation 31: JFCAS should develop a specific practice pathway for domestic abuse cases in order to ensure that JFCAS officers are able to consistently respond appropriately to cases where domestic abuse is alleged or suspected to be present.

JFCAS are currently in the process developing a specific practice pathway.

Progress has been affected due to staffing challenges and the delay to consider how to incorporate the recently published Cafcass guidance into the development process.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Not Started

Recommendation 33: Family Court professionals should undertake consultation with the authors of the Harm Panel report and other UK experts to ensure that development of Jersey-specific practice guidance is informed by an understanding of the weaknesses of UK guidance and avoids the limitations of Practice Direction 12J.

The judiciary will review practice, and address any improvements required as part of the independent review of the Family Court system being commissioned by the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs. If recommendations following that review propose any material changes, legislative changes may be required. The court will develop suitable practice direction in relation to treatment of victims of domestic abuse once the review has concluded to ensure that it is informed by current thinking and best practice.

In Progress

Recommendation 34: JFCAS should prioritise a review of outcomes according to the gender of the party over the past 5- years.

JFCAS considered undertaking a review on similar terms to recommendation 34 prior to its publication. However, it's been determined that there is not enough available data to make a review based on outcomes over the past 5-years feasible within the service's capacity without impacting on their current practice. It is also felt that the contextual information required to categorise outcomes, would require a level of investment not currently feasible.

Instead, to address this recommendation, JFCAS have begun a project to gather more feedback from parents to provide the service with more reliable and up-to-date information about the experiences of parents. This will include gathering themes around the management of domestic abuse.

It is noted that the potential output of this recommendation will likely be covered by the independent review of the family courts system.

Complete/ No Further Action

 Recommendation 35: The Family Courts should undertake a review of contact, residency and shared residency orders made in the past 5-years to assess if the presumption of parental involvement has undermined children's safety in cases where there is alleged domestic abuse. Those involved in the design of the review methodology should mitigate the risk of further harm or re-traumatisation to the vulnerable adults and children involved in these cases.

The Family Court has only two judges, who do not have the capacity to undertake a review of a substantial number of past cases. Were they to do so such a review would likely involve vulnerable parents and adults which might renew trauma and harm for no real purpose. It is important to look to the future and make changes so as to affect current and future cases. In any event, the recommendation is based on a premise namely a "presumption of parental involvement" that is not found in the Children (Jersey) Law 2002 [4]and the Family Judges are not aware of cases where such an extra-statutory has undermined the safety of any child. Accordingly, such a review would be time-consuming, potentially harmful to the participants in the proceedings and unlikely to yield useful data. The starting point for all applications in relation to contact and residence is the welfare of the child, as enshrined in the Children (Jersey) Law 2002.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 36: The Family Courts in Jersey should keep the ongoing safety of child arrangement orders under review in every case where domestic abuse has been alleged, in order to ensure that these arrangements are working in the best interests of the children and victims-survivors involved.

The Family Court is required by statue to always have regard to the best interests of the child. Where questions arise and are put before the court in respect of the safety or welfare of a child, the court always considers the child with the provisions of Article 2 of the Children (Jersey) Law 2002 firmly in mind. As the legislation currently stands, the court is only able to review cases which are currently before it or when parties bring a matter back to court for review, for example, on a change of circumstances which may include an allegation of domestic abuse.

In Progress

Recommendation 37: The Family Justice Council that is being led by the Deputy Bailiff for the purpose of unifying the approach to family justice across the Family Court system in Jersey, should have specific regard to the way the Family Courts, JFCAS and Children's Services interact and work together in cases where there is suspected or alleged domestic abuse.

Jersey Family Justice Council (JFJC) held its first plenary meeting in June 2024. Constituent members of the council agreed at the first session that consideration of the recommendations of the violence against women and girls (VAWG) report would be a standing item on the agenda for the first three-year term.

Furthermore, it was agreed that the JFJC would support the work which the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs, who sits on JFJC, will be undertaking to explore an independent review of the Family Court system. The Minister has asked that this work stream be left to her and her team for the time being, on the understanding that the relevant stakeholders in JFJC will make themselves available to assist the individual appointed. In accordance with that agreement, members of the JFJC contributed to the draft terms of reference in the winter of 2024.

Although many of the judiciary, JFCAS, Law Officers and teams working for the Minister for Children and Families had already had training on the impact of domestic abuse and violence against parties participating (and children involved) in court proceedings at all levels, in advance of the first meeting of the JFJC, an invitation was extended to Professor Jo Delahunty KC, a well- regarded specialist in children law to come to Jersey to give training to the judiciary and members of the family law bar.

It was agreed at the JFJC meeting in September 2024 that an invitation to participate in this training would be extended to all members of the JFJC and their teams, together with the Law Officers' Department. The intention was that this training, which took place in November 2024, would ensure that all stakeholders understood the importance and impact of allegations of domestic abuse and violence, including financial abuse and coercive control. As the training was aimed squarely at managing risk and trauma in the court arena, it was recognised that a unified approach should be taken to recognising and taking measures to offer support to victims, address allegations thoroughly and safely where necessary in proceedings, to ensure that, as far as possible, the court, witnesses and parties do not behave in a manner likely to further perpetuate abuse or retraumatise victims.

In advance of, and at its meeting in March 2025, the JFJC considered the conclusions and guidance set out in the Family Justice Council Guidance on responding to a child's unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour, published by the FJC in England and Wales in December 2024. Members of the JFJC, where relevant to their practice, have been asked to consider taking steps to adopt and apply the learning set out in this consultation. This report is relevant to the work now being undertaken by the Working Group on Experts which forms part of the JFJC; that group is exploring how to select experts, and restrict expert evidence, as it is agreed that historically a small number of experts instructed in Jersey proceedings appear to be promoters of allegations of so called parental alienation, allegations which previously sometimes featured in cases in which domestic abuse was alleged. The number of such allegations has fallen in recent months, primarily as a result of better understanding of the correlation between allegations of abuse and allegations of alienating behaviour.

In Progress

Recommendation 52: States of Jersey Police and Jersey Customs and Immigration Service should work together to review their data sharing policies and legislative reporting duties and consider establishing an agreement that data on immigration status will not be shared without a victim-survivor's consent in cases where they are reporting abuse.

Data sharing policies that exist between States of Jersey Police and Jersey Customs and Immigration Service should be made publicly accessible and easy to understand, so that victim-survivors and support services are clear on what these are.

SoJP and JCIS have agreed to adopt the approach outlined in the UK's Migrant Victim Protocol.

While substantial progress was made in the UK before the summer election, further developments have paused with the formation of a new Government. Officers are monitoring the situation and will proceed once there is additional progress in the UK.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 54: JCIS should review its process around communicating immigration decisions to ensure the rationale behind the decision is clear to the applicant concerned.

JCIS should consider options to ensure that individuals are aware of the complaints and appeals processes that exist for challenging immigration decisions.

Jersey Customs and Immigration Service have revised the immigration decision letter templates to ensure the rationale is clearly explained, with clear signposting to guidance on accessing both the appeals and complaints processes included.

Immigration legislation, rules and feedback gov.je [5]page has been updated to add a feedback and complaints link.

In Progress

Recommendation 59: The Government of Jersey should undertake a review of the follow-on accommodation available to victim-survivors who are moving on from temporary refuge accommodation. If it is found that there is insufficient accommodation available to this group, additional investment into the establishment of such accommodation should be considered.

In November 2024, a review of follow-on accommodation for victim-survivors, was published and with its conclusions accepted by the Minister for Housing.

Minister for Housing's policy response sets out three areas of focus:

1. Evidence - Improve evidence of the level and types of housing needs amongst victim- survivors to inform policy and service delivery.
2. Support - Strengthen housing advice and support for victim-survivors to access and maintain a suitable home.
3. Provide - Provide a range of opportunities for victim survivors to access a home that is suitable for their needs.

Work is underway to fulfil the accepted conclusions.

In Progress

Recommendation 60: A gap analysis of the current counselling and therapeutic support provision available to victim-survivors should be undertaken.

Following the findings of this gap analysis, subsequent investment should be made to improve the appropriateness and availability of counselling and therapeutic support provision where needed.  

Efforts are underway to conduct a comprehensive gap analysis of the existing counselling and therapeutic support provision available to victim-survivors.

A working group, comprised of representatives from a range of victim services, has been formed. This group has identified several strategic and operational improvements.

Due to scheduling constraints, the group has not yet undertaken a detailed assessment of the level of need or initiated the necessary work to address the identified improvements.

In Progress

Recommendation 69: Jersey Domestic Abuse Programme should be assessed for Respect Accreditation.

The Jersey Probation and After-Care Service (JPACS) have begun benchmarking the Building Healthy Relationships Programme,[6] formally known as Jersey Domestic Abuse Programme, against the very comprehensive Respect Standards.[7]

JPACS will not be able to deliver the Respect Standards in isolation and it must be a multi- agency approach to include all Safeguarding agencies, victim support service and other relevant agencies.

There is quite a significant piece of work to be completed if the standards are to be achieved, or if the Respect accreditation is suitable for the demographics of Jersey given that they are based on UK Home Office Standards.

It is worth noting at this point that self-referrals and those involved in family court proceedings would not necessarily be able to access the programme if Respect Standards are agreed.

Research has been conducted to seek other avenues of accreditation.

As part of partnership working JPACS visited Guernsey to understand how their domestic abuse invention is delivered. Agencies in Guernsey work collaboratively under the umbrella of a charity called Safer'. Research is currently ongoing by the Guernsey programme facilitators in obtaining accreditation for their programme and we will continue to work with our Guernsey counterparts.

As part of ongoing developments, the Chief Probation Officer (CPO) has chaired a multi- disciplinary group looking at gaps in provision for victims in Jersey. Furthermore, an information sharing protocol with Jersey Domestic Abuse Services has been drafted, which will assist joint working to ensure safeguarding of victims.

Going forward, JPACS will:

• If funding is available, consider inviting SafeLives to review the internal benchmarking work to consider accreditation.

• Perform ongoing consultation with agencies regarding partnership agreements.

• Provide ongoing staff training about domestic abuse.

• Conduct a mapping exercise to assess where JPACS are with meeting the Respect Standards.

• Perform ongoing evaluation of the delivery of the BHR programme and its outcomes.

In Progress

Recommendation 72: The Government of Jersey should develop a comprehensive strategy to coordinate work to tackle VAWG across government and third sector services.

The strategy should be independently governed to ensure accountability.

In response to recommendation 72, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs committed, within the Government Plan, to publish an annual report. This report will serve as a transparent and informative update to the public, highlighting key areas of progress and planning.

Upon completion, the delivery and reporting of VAWG will be incorporated into the Building a Safer Community (BASC) Framework,[8] which will coordinate efforts to tackle VAWG across government and third-sector services.

The BASC Framework is a coordinated approach to community safety. It balances long-term strategies with immediate needs, involving multiple sectors, agencies, and organisations. The framework aims to drive sustained improvements by providing tools and knowledge to proactively address safety challenges without duplicating efforts.

Health

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 40: Level 1 IRIS training should be made mandatory for all GPs practicing in Jersey in order to ensure that all victim-survivors receive an appropriate standard of care.

In January 2024, the Jersey Quality Improvement Framework was published with new requirements that 70% of GPs per GP surgery should have completed IRIS level 1 and 2 training. This provides a strong incentive for all surgeries to improve uptake of training.

Officers were informed that funding for IRIS training in 2025 has been secured via the Health Insurance Fund. Efforts are ongoing to establish funding agreements beyond 2024/25 to ensure sustainable long-term provision.

In Progress

Recommendation 41: All sexual health services in Jersey should implement routine enquiry into their practice.

Recommendation 42: All reproductive healthcare services should implement routine enquiry procedures when a patient requests an abortion.

Recommendation 43: All mental health services and practitioners in Jersey should adopt routine enquiry processes.

All mental health services and practitioners in Jersey should receive training on the relationship between mental health problems and experiences of VAWG.

Recommendation 44: Professionals working within the Alcohol and Drug Service should receive regular training on the connection between VAWG experiences and substance misuse.

The Alcohol and Drug Service should implement routine enquiry within their practice.

Recommendation 45: All health professionals should receive training on how to identify and respond to patients experiencing VAWG, and the available referral pathways for victim-survivors.

Targeted enquiry should be implemented by frontline professionals working across Health and Community Services.

Recommendation 46: Training on identifying non-fatal strangulation should be available to all frontline health practitioners working across HCS and primary care.

A self-referral pathway should be made available to victim-survivors of non-fatal strangulation to see a forensic physician.

Recommendation 48: Further research should be undertaken to understand the experiences of health and social care workers in Jersey in relation to VAWG behaviours and crimes. The findings of this research should be published alongside recommendations to safeguard health and social care workers from harassment and abuse.

To address the healthcare-related recommendations outlined above, the Government of Jersey has formed a healthcare working group comprising healthcare professionals. The group's purpose is to involve sector experts in supporting the implementation of these recommendations. The first meeting took place in February 2025. Following this initial meeting, it was agreed that dividing the group into subgroups would be advantageous, allowing members to apply their expertise to relevant recommendations.

Support Provision

Awaiting Reporting

Recommendation 4: The Attorney General should publish guidance on the application of the new offence of domestic abuse that was established by the new Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022 in June 2023. In particular, this guidance should make clear what behaviour constitutes coercive and controlling behaviour under the domestic abuse offence.

All statutory and third sector support services that support victim-survivors of VAWG should conduct their own training needs analysis in regard to coercive and controlling behaviour and enrol the appropriate staff into training on coercive and controlling behaviour where needed.

Recommendation 26: Guidance should be issued that makes it clear that economic abuse is covered under the new offence of domestic abuse under the Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022.

Recommendation 51: A definition of "immigration abuse" should be included within the Attorney General's guidance on the scope and application of the offence of domestic abuse.

By agreement, LOD will be reporting on the progress of the above recommendations separately. Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 7.2: A stronger police presence should be introduced in Cheapside, Parade Gardens, Belmont Road area, and the Snow Hill area.

Recommendation 7.3: Dedicated support for rough sleepers should be introduced in Parade Gardens.

The areas stated, Cheapside, Parade Gardens, Belmont Road area and Snow Hill area, were indicated at a snapshot in time and have seen Community Policing engagement since then to engage people and understand more about the area.  

Pro-active high visibility patrols in hotspots during key times with engagement of community leaders, business owners and licensed premises are part of the Force's normal operating mode.

The Community Policing Team lead problem solving cases, work to prevent crime and engage local communities to prevent and detect crime. The Operation Visible nighttime economy policing initiative has been modernised, and staff briefed on indicators of predatory behaviour and vulnerability to intervene early, prevent crime and identify potential perpetrators.

In accordance with the Minister for Justice & Home Affairs' response in March 2024, officers have engaged with the Shelter Trust to better understand this issue. Though no immediate solution is apparent, officers have ensured that the relationship between homelessness and VAWG is considered throughout the implementation of all relevant recommendations.

In Progress

Recommendation 7.4: Better street lighting should be introduced in the Snow Hill area.

Infrastructure and Environment (I&E) have agreed to introduce additional lighting in the Snow Hill area and to fund this from the I&E budget.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 13: The Government of Jersey should provide and maintain accessible information for citizens in Jersey about online and tech-facilitated VAWG.

In September 2024, public information and guidance on online and technology-facilitated abuse was published. This guidance will be updated every six months to ensure it incorporates the latest developments and reflects any new legislative development as they are introduced.

In Progress

Recommendation 16: States of Jersey Police should publish their procedure for managing concerns about police behaviour, including disciplinary processes and actions.

A new policy to address police perpetrated VAWG was introduced in January 2025. Training to supervisors and force wide communications sees this new process implemented with appropriate governance by Senior Responsible Officers and the Professional Standards Department. The policy will soon be published on the new SoJP website. The new regulations concerning modernising the approach to police complaints and discipline are still being reviewed and require approval from the States Assembly. The Police Senior Leadership Team approved publication of sanitised data in relation to disciplinary processes and actions, the scope and detail of data is currently being reviewed prior to publication on the SoJP website in 2025.

Awaiting Reporting

Recommendation 20: The Law Officer's Department should more clearly signpost to the Code on the decision to prosecute.

A simplified version of the guiding principles and general rationale used to make decisions on whether to pursue a prosecution should also be published.

Recommendation 22: Professionals who support victim-survivors should be provided with up-to-date information and education on the Jersey legal context and the criminal justice system to ensure they are able to provide accurate advice and information.

By agreement, LOD will be reporting on the progress of the above recommendations separately. In Progress

Recommendation 38.2: A dedicated perpetrator referral process into Jersey Domestic Abuse Programme should be included within the JFCAS domestic abuse practice pathway.

JFCAS have discussed this issue with the programme providers. Best practice in the UK indicates that individuals involved in family court proceedings are not referred to programmes of this nature, and that they must be clear of any family court applications for a period of time before they will be accepted.

As a result, JFCAS has decided not to implement a formal referral process to the full programme. However, JFCAS will offer information about the Jersey Domestic Abuse Programme for consideration by professionals and individuals to access at an appropriate time. In addition, JFCAS will consider referrals to Engage', which is an individual intervention undertaken by the Building Health Relationships provider, which looks to assess an individual's suitability for the full

programme at the right time, and offers activities, strategies and exercises designed to help individuals manage their behaviour. This will be highlighted in the domestic abuse practice pathway.

As part of their strategy to develop services, the Probation & Aftercare Service have engaged with SafeLives to deliver the Engage Programme, which focusses on behavioural change and an analysis of perpetrators' individual patterns of violence, based on an initial assessment of the client's level of motivation to change these behaviours. This will be a more appropriate referral route for JFCAS in the event they need to refer a client who is seeking advice and assistance about abusive attitudes or behaviours.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 49: The Justice and Home Affairs Minister should introduce a concession for migrant victims-survivors on spouse and work visas to ensure they have recourse to public funds and access to the safety which this can afford them.

In April 2024, the Minister for Social Security (MSS) introduced 13-weeks of financial support through the income support benefit for victims of domestic abuse with less than 5-years residency.

Applicants were not required to submit evidence of domestic abuse; however, they had to apply via a specialist support service such as FREEDA or JDAS.

In August 2024, the MSS agreed to shorten the income support residency requirements for an agreed list of exceptional circumstances, including domestic abuse, serious illness and death of a partner, to 3 years. Additionally, a broader residency exemption was introduced for victims of domestic abuse with children, allowing these individuals to qualify for support after just one year.

For these exemptions, applicants are required to provide evidence of domestic abuse. The criteria in which evidence is interpreted is aligned with the standards used by JCIS in ILR(DV) applications. This policy has been in effect since September 2024.

Officers are in the process of updating current guidance. Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 50: JCIS should improve the information available to the public on the immigration system and the rights and entitlements of migrants.

Migrants should also receive information on specialist VAWG support services. This information should be presented in a user-friendly format.

Immigration pages Migrant Domestic Abuse Concession (MDAC) [9]and Family Visas[10] have been updated on gov.je. FREEDA and JDAS links are included in the MDAC page.

There is clear signposting to a single document of truth: The Moving to Jersey: Work gov.je[11] page.

In Progress

Recommendation 53: Additional and independent advocacy services should be established to support individuals from minority communities to navigate services and ensure that they receive the benefits they are entitled to.

In response to recommendation 53, the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs emphasised that independent advocacy services play a crucial role in supporting the community and operate independently of government oversight. The Minister advocated for enhancing existing provisions to ensure comprehensive support before considering the introduction of new services.

Officers have engaged with advocacy services to identify areas where knowledge and training gaps exist among current support agencies, particularly in relation to aiding individuals from minority communities with public services. They are now actively working on developing an implementation plan to deliver a cost-effective and impactful training package.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 56: JCIS should work alongside specialist domestic abuse support services to review their evidential thresholds for proving domestic violence in ILR (DV) applications. In particular:

JCIS should recognise that evidence submitted by specialist domestic abuse support services on behalf of ILR (DV) applicants, can be considered strong evidence of abuse under the UK Home Office guidance.

Specialist domestic abuse support services should work with JCIS to better understand the evidential requirements of the UK Home Office guidance. This will help to ensure that they provide evidence that fulfils the criteria that JCIS requires in order to be considered strong evidence of domestic abuse under the ILR (DV) route.

The UK Guidance on evidential levels for ILR (DV) were updated in April 2024 and October 2024. JCIS will remain aligned to the UK guidance to ensure consistency across the common travel area (CTA) regarding granting of ILR.

JCIS delivered a presentation to JDAS in May 2024 on ILR (DV) Guidance. Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 57: JCIS should develop practice guidance for responding to migrant workers who are abused by their employer or colleague. This guidance should be publicly available.

JCIS Work Permit Policy guidance[12] was updated in relation to employer and employee responsibilities.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 58: Legal aid provision should be made available to migrant workers who face employment-based discrimination and/or abuse.

As the Jersey Employment and Discrimination Tribunal is free and accessible to migrant workers and is designed so that legal support is not required, and other citizens in Jersey are not eligible for legal aid for employment disputes, it was determined that the introduction of legal aid for migrant workers was not necessary as the spirit of the recommendation was to align the rights of migrant workers with that of other citizens.

Not Started

Recommendation 62: The Government of Jersey should consider investment into the establishment of by-and-for services for victim-survivors from marginalised groups.

Officers will determine whether additional "by-and-for" services are required as part of the further research with marginalised groups, recommendation 2.

In Progress

Recommendation 63: The Government of Jersey should consider investing into the establishment of an online support provision for victim-survivors.

Officers consulted with specialist support services and services that specialise in the development of online live chat functions. Officers are working towards securing funding for the introduction of online support provision.

In Progress

Recommendation 70: The Government of Jersey should reignite efforts to develop a statutory system of post-custodial supervision for offenders who have been sentenced to imprisonment for six months or longer.

Post-custodial supervision arrangements should ensure that offenders are supported to navigate a range of key services upon their release and these services receive training to better understand the importance of their role in supporting offenders to reintegrate into the community.

With ministerial endorsement, efforts to establish a statutory system for post-custodial supervision are actively underway. Key stakeholders are convening regularly to ensure progress, and drafting instructions have been submitted to the Law Drafting Officer for further action.

Awareness Campaigns

The VAWG Taskforce report recommended several different campaigns to increase awareness of VAWG and how to tackle VAWG related issues.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 7.1: A campaign to tackle street harassment should be rolled out across St Helier.

Recommendation 75: The engagement of men and boys should be a key feature of future efforts tackle VAWG in Jersey and should be represented as such in all future strategies.

In December 2024, the It's Not Okay' campaign against street harassment was launched, with a focus on 16- to 25-year-old men and boys, targeted via social media and posters distributed throughout schools. The aim was for people to learn about street harassment, how to stop it and where to report it or get support.

Work will continue to assess the reception and measure the impact across the main It's Not Okay' campaign period.

The VAWG schools' guidance has been developed with the engagement of men and boys in mind. The guidance provides advice and support for teachers on how to engage young men and boys in violence prevention without making them feel alienated or negatively targeted.

Officers will ensure the engagement of men and boys remains a central aspect of future initiatives to address Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Jersey.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 9.2: The Government of Jersey and the Safeguarding Partnership Board should deliver an awareness raising campaign amongst health professionals to ensure the mandatory reporting duty is understood and that they are aware of the multi- agency procedures that exist in this area (honour-based abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices).

In July 2024, the Safeguarding Partnership Board published updated guidance on the mandatory reporting requirements relating to female genital mutilation (FGM) for health professionals.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 71: The States of Jersey Police should make efforts to increase public awareness of the Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme. Professionals working with women who are at risk of abuse should receive training on how to request a public interest disclosure.

A significant investment and a fresh approach saw the Clare's Law campaign well publicised, internally and externally in 2024. The Force's Public Protection Unit and partners such as the Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Service continue to meet regularly to review relevant cases and consider proactive disclosures to enhance victim safety. The numbers of people exercising their right to ask has increased significantly.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 73: An ongoing and comprehensive campaign to boost awareness and change communities around VAWG issues should be introduced.

Building on the success of the It's Not Okay' campaign in December, a campaign was launched following International Women's Day 2025. The campaign highlighted that coercive control, which can be hidden and subtle, is a form of abuse, and is an issue on the Island. It also signposted relevant support services on the Island.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 74: All media professionals should utilise the dedicated toolkit we have developed on the responsible and sensitive reporting of VAWG issues.

We understand that the dedicated toolkit is being used by media professionals.

Education

The following recommendations have been identified to ensure a comprehensive approach to addressing violence against women and girls in the education sector.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 65: The Children and Young People Education and Skills (CYPES) department should work closely with Dewberry House Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Jersey Action Against Rape and Jersey Domestic Abuse Support to promote better awareness of these services within schools and other sites for young people.

Recommendation 67: Schools should ensure that all students are aware of the provision of school counsellors on site, and how to access this service.

Not Started

Recommendation 66: The Government of Jersey should work with the Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) department to develop an education programme for parents to better support their children who have questions about, or experiences of, VAWG. This programme should also provide parents with background information on the main drivers of VAWG.

In Progress

Recommendation 76: CYPES should develop a core PSHE curriculum on sex and healthy relationships which continues throughout a student's school career.

CYPES should ensure that the PSHE curriculum includes explicit links between gender inequality, misogyny, victim blaming and violence directed towards young women and girls.

CYPES should make training mandatory for all teachers who teach PSHE to develop their skills, knowledge and confidence in delivering content around sex, relationships, violence and abuse.

CYPES and schools should utilise the skills and knowledge of Brook in the meaningful engagement of students in the future development of the PSHE Curriculum.

CYPES should include an explicit audit of VAWG in the Jersey Schools Review Framework.

CYPES should include explicit reference to an assessment of VAWG in schools' annual safeguarding audit.

Recommendation 77: CYPES should consider rolling out a whole-of-school' approach across schools.

Professionals working with young people in educational settings should receive Bystander training to develop a culture of vigilance, challenge and high standards of gender equality and safety.

Schools should work with students to develop a Bill of Rights which is explicit in describing what is not acceptable behaviour.

In response to the above education recommendations:

In January 2024, new non-statutory guidance for the PSHE curriculum was published including the relevant areas of VAWG. This work, done jointly with other providers of services for schools, meets the objectives of recommendation 65 and aspects of recommendation 76 regarding sex and healthy relationships education across secondary schools.

The School Improvement and Advisory Service (SIAS) has established various secondary school networks including a network for leaders of PSHE which has received training from the PSHE Association. In addition, PSHE education, including incorporating information for pupils about promotion of equalities and an understanding of VAWG, will be a regular agenda item in the Curriculum, Teaching and Learning network, which includes Deputy Headteachers with responsibility for curriculum.

The regular update training for school's Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) has been revised to incorporate and address the VAWG recommendations. This includes:

• Training from Dewberry House, Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support Service and Free from Domestic Abuse (Jersey)

• The need for an understanding of a culture of vigilance, challenge and high standards of gender equality and safety.

The updated Jersey Schools Review Framework (JSRF), due to be rolled out from September 2025, has incorporated the VAWG report recommendations. The JSRF underpins accountability measures for schools. It guides school leaders in their own annual self-evaluations and improvement plans as well as serving as the framework for the four-yearly independently led external reviews of the schools by experienced inspectors. The updated framework now expects:

• Schools to engage with a new definition of curriculum' which has been accepted and adopted by Jersey Curriculum Council. This definition involves 4 pillars: Development of the Child, Entitlement, Equity, and Quality. As such, the updated JSRF expects that schools actively promote equity and equalities as one of these pillars. It guides leaders and reviewers evaluate how well a school promotes equalities considering all protected characteristics (as defined by Discrimination (Jersey) Law 2013). It also makes explicit reference to the recommendations of the VAWG report and what is expected of schools.

• When evaluating the quality of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning' reviewers will focus on conducting and in-depth sampling of the quality of between 4-6 subjects offered by each school. One of these subjects will always be PSHE.

• When evaluating Behaviour, Attitudes and Attendance,' reviewers will consider how schools:

- Have considered VAWG within their annual Governance and Safeguarding audits.

- Promote equality, appropriately challenging any gender stereotyping, harassment, sexist and/or misogynistic behaviours.

• When evaluating Personal Development' reviewers will consider:

- How explicitly the PSHE curriculum includes links between gender inequality, misogyny, victim blaming and violence directed towards young women and girls.

- Teaching staff's skills, knowledge and confidence in delivering PSHE content around sex, relationships, violence and abuse.

- The quality and impact of any training for teachers in delivering content around harmful sexual behaviour.

The VAWG Taskforce's education subgroup has worked to develop a guidance for schools in the form of a VAWG toolkit. The guidance outlines a whole school approach to addressing VAWG, incorporating and extending beyond:

• Signposting services

• Strategies for engaging families, parents and careers

• On-site support offered for pupils, such as access to on-site counsellors.

The draft guidance was shared with schools in March 2025 to gather their initial feedback. It will be piloted, after which it will undergo evaluation before being officially published.

Due to budget constraints, capacity issues, and the current ongoing restructure of CYPES, a workstream to develop an education programme for parents has not been initiated this year.

Further Research

The further research recommendations outlined below are yet to be actioned. Work is planned to be initiated in 2025.

Findings from recommendation 2 will inform officers progress with recommendation 62. Not Started

Recommendation 2: Government of Jersey should apply an intersectional approach to all future strategies and other work to address VAWG. Such an approach should include further research with women from marginalised groups in Jersey and the development of specific solutions to improve their safety.

Recommendation 6: The Government of Jersey should undertake further victim-survivor centred research on experiences of sexual and commercial exploitation on the island.

Recommendation 9.1: The Government of Jersey should undertake further research to understand the prevalence and experiences of so-called' honour-based abuse, FGM and other harmful practices such as forced marriage and force sterilisation, in Jersey.

Training

The VAWG Taskforce issued several recommendations emphasising the importance of delivering training on a variety of issues related to violence against women and girls (VAWG).

In Progress

Recommendation 5: All professionals supporting women who have experienced domestic abuse should receive regular and in-depth training on how to identify and respond to economic abuse.

Recommendation 12: The Government of Jersey should invest in a comprehensive and ongoing programme of learning and development in order to strengthen the capacity of service providers (specialist and universal) to effectively respond to online and technology-facilitated VAWG.

Both recommendations are addressed through the training programme which will be delivered by the UK organisation, Refuge.' The training provider has been commissioned, and government officials are currently in the process of finalising the commercial services agreements.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 17: States of Jersey Police officers should receive training on how to manage conflicts of interest.

States of Jersey Police should publish their policy for managing conflicts of interest within the police service.  

A new conflict of interest policy was introduced in January 2025. Training to supervisors and force wide communications has taken place to ensure this new process was implemented with appropriate governance by the Professional Standards Department. The policy will soon be published on the SoJP website.

Several recommendations were made in relation to enhancing training for the judiciary and specifically Family Court professionals:

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 30: Mandatory training should be introduced for all professionals working within the Family Court system to ensure they are better able to identify and respond to cases where there is suspected domestic abuse. This training should cover the different forms that domestic abuse can take, including economic abuse, post- separation abuse, stalking and harassment, and its impact on both the non-abusive parent and their children, and an accurate understanding of false allegations of domestic abuse.

Recommendation 32: The training received by the judiciary on the relationship between allegations of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and parental alienation should be reviewed.

Recommendation 38.3: Family Court professionals should receive training on how perpetrators of domestic abuse may use the Family Court system to try and continue the abuse of their former partner.

Although many members of the judiciary have already had training on the impact of domestic abuse and violence against parties participating and children involved in court proceedings, at the request and by arrangement of the judiciary, an invitation was extended to Professor Jo Delahunty KC, a well-regarded specialist in children law, to come to Jersey to give training to the judiciary and lawyers specialising in family work. Professor Delahunty has previously trained English judges in respect of domestic abuse.

An invitation to participate in this training was extended to all members of the Jersey Family Justice Council and members of their teams, together with lawyers working in the Law Officers' Department and Jersey lawyers specialising in family work. This training, which took place in November 2024, covered the importance and impact of allegations of domestic abuse and violence, including financial abuse and coercive control.

The training was aimed at recognising and managing risk and trauma in the court arena, including taking measures to offer support to victims, addressing allegation of domestic abuse thoroughly and safely where necessary in those proceedings, including offering special measures to victims and witnesses to ensure that other participants in the proceedings cannot behave in a manner likely to further perpetuate abuse or retraumatise victims.

However, the court is not able to impose training on professionals; the Law Society as the profession's regulatory body may do so.

Recommendation 38.3 has also been incorporated in the implementation of perpetrator awareness training, which will be provided by Alpha Vesta (see page 30 for details).

Not Started

Recommendation 39: Training on the role of IDVAS and the qualifications they have completed should be introduced for all Family Court professionals.

Work is yet to be done on the training regarding the role of IDVAs and the qualifications they have.

In Progress

Recommendation 47: Veterinary professionals in Jersey should receive regular training on the link between animal abuse and domestic abuse, indicators of domestic abuse and the referral pathways available to victim-survivors on the island.

Funding has been successfully secured and the training provider, Links Group, has been appointed. Officers are in the process of confirming commercial services arrangements, with the intention of delivering the training within 2025.

Complete/ No Further Action

Recommendation 55: Immigration officers should be trained to recognise the indicators of VAWG and factors that may escalate the risk to victims-survivors.

JCIS should implement targeted enquiry processes and have consistent safeguarding processes in place so that victims-survivors can be referred to the appropriate services for support.

In April 2024, SafeLives, a leading UK organisation specialising in domestic abuse training, delivered training on the indictors of VAWG for immigration officers. Targeted enquiry procedures have been implemented within the Customs and Immigration Service.

In Progress

Recommendation 38.1: JFCAS officers should receive training on how to identify and

respond to perpetrators of domestic abuse within their caseload. This training should be

formalised under the JFCAS domestic abuse practice pathway (see recommendation 31).

 Recommendation 61: Training programmes for all statutory and non-statutory specialist support services should be reviewed to ensure that all support workers working with victim-survivors have received adequate and regular levels of training on the dynamics of VAWG and using a trauma-informed approach.

Recommendation 68: Key public services such as housing, health, education and social security should be provided with in-depth and regular training on how to identify and respond to perpetrators of VAWG.

Training provider, Alpha Vesta, has been commissioned to provide perpetrator awareness training for public services. Officers have finalised commercial services agreements and training will be delivered in 2025. Alpha Vesta are also delivering a Train the Trainer session, to ensure ongoing on-island expertise.

In addition to this, JFCAS have identified a training provider, SafeLives, who can provide specialised training around domestic abuse and the family court. JFCAS are in discussions with the Jersey Family Law Association to implement this training locally. Wider training which will involve not just JFCAS, but all stakeholders in the family justice system, is being actively considered by the Jersey Family Justice Council.

In regard to recommendation 61, additional training provision agreements are currently underway, though have yet to be confirmed. This provision would cover the victim specialist support services.

VAWG Recommendation Overview

Glossary of Abbreviations

CTA – Common Travel Area

CYPES – Children, Young People, Education and Skills department DA – Domestic Abuse

FJC – Family Justice Council

FREEDA – Free from Domestic Abuse

HCJ – Health and Care Jersey

IDVA – Independent Domestic Violence Advisor

ILR (DV) – Indefinite Leave to Remain (Domestic Violence)

ISVA – Independent Sexual Violence Advisor

JCIS – Jersey Customs and Immigration Services

JDAS – Jersey Domestic & Sexual Abuse Support

JFCAS – Jersey Family Court Advisory Service

JFJC – Jersey Family Justice Council

JOIS – Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner

JSRF – Jersey Schools Review Framework

LOD – Law Officers' Department

MJHA – Minister for Justice and Home Affairs

PSHE – Personal, Social, Heath and Economic

SoJP – States of Jersey Police

VAWG - Violence Against Women and Girls

[1] VAWG Taskforce Report.pdf

[2] Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence

[3] Domestic Abuse (Jersey) Law 2022

[4] Children (Jersey) Law 2002

[5] Immigration legislation, rules and feedback

[6] Building Healthy Relationships Programme (BHR) - Courts.je

[7] Respect_Standard_4th_edition_2022.pdf

[8] Building a Safer Community (BASC) Framework.pdf

[9] Migrant Domestic Abuse Concession (MDAC)

[10] Family Visas

[11] Moving to Jersey: Work

[12] Work Permit Policy