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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY M.R. HIGGINS OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 24TH MAY 2016
Question
Will the Minister advise how many children and adults were given off-Island placements in order to meet their needs with facilities or specialist staff that could not be provided on-Island, between 2008 and the present date?
Will he further provide a breakdown of the nature and duration of those placements? Answer
Any proposal to place an adult or child off-island is subject to consideration and scrutiny by the appropriate senior manager in Community and Social Services. The circumstances of each individual are considered based on an assessment of need and the formulation of a care plan.
Some individuals require specialist support or care that is not available in Jersey; this includes specialist assessment and short-, medium- or long-term support, intervention or treatment. The circumstances of each individual are reviewed on a regular basis according to their need. All cases are reviewed using a multi-disciplinary team approach to ensure that the current arrangements continue to meet the extremely complex needs of these individuals. Those subject to mental health legislation have additional safeguards through the Statutory Mental Health tribunal and care programme approach.
The length of stay off-island varies depending upon the complexity of need – it could range from a short assessment period of 8-12 weeks to a number of years.
Adult Services
31 individuals have been placed off-island since 2008 with 8 remaining in a UK placement at April 2016. As stated above, each individual has their needs assessed and care plan formulated. Some of the individuals will be/have been subject to detention in terms of mental health or criminal justice legislation.
The table shows the number of new placements each year from 2008 to the present. The reasons for these placements include detention in terms of criminal justice or mental health legislation, specialist mental health, addiction, autism or need for a specialist brain injury service.
Year | Number of placements* |
2008 | 2 |
2009 | 1 |
2010 | 4 |
2011 | 4 |
2012 | 2 |
2013 | 4 |
2014 | 3 |
2015 | 5 |
2016 (to date) | 6 |
Total | 31 |
Children's Services
In the years 2008 to 2016, 36 children were placed off-island. During this period, 2 children returned to Jersey and 3 children remained in placement after their 18th birthday. The duration of these placements ranges from 3 months to 5 years.
Children have been placed in foster care, residential placements and specialist residential placements (for example, specialist autism services). The children will have a range of needs with many having experienced abuse and trauma earlier in their lives.
Each child placed off-island has an allocated social worker and an independent reviewing officer who provide ongoing assessment and monitoring of each child's needs during the placement to ensure the progression of the care plan with any alterations as necessary. Family contact is promoted and supported as appropriate to the child's needs.
Year | Number of placements * |
2008 | 2 |
2009 | 4 |
2010 | 5 |
2011 | 5 |
2012 | 4 |
2013 | 4 |
2014 | 1 |
2015 | 7 |
2016 (to date) | 4 |
Total | 36 |
* To ensure that no individuals can be identified from the information provided in the tables, the reasons for/types of placement have not been detailed.