Children under care of States of Jersey care homes

27

WQ.205/2019

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR CHILDREN AND HOUSING BY DEPUTY K.G. PAMPLIN OF ST. SAVIOUR

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 30th APRIL 2019

Question

Will the Minister advise how many children are currently in care or protection in States of Jersey-provided care homes and facilities; and will he provide a breakdown of this figure by –

1. age;
2. length of time in care;
3. how many are at risk;
4. how many have had access to mental health support; and
5. how many have had multiple social workers?

Answer

There are 37 Looked After Children either placed in residential homes in Jersey, with local foster carers (not including family and friends connected persons) or accessing short breaks or periods in hospital.

a) As the numbers are small we are unable to give a breakdown of ages or age groups as this would risk disclosing identifiable information

3. The initial risks (abuse/neglect) around this cohort were mitigated when they were accommodated. However, it is well documented that looked after children are at risk of poorer outcomes.
4. We are unable to break this down by placement type due to small numbers. 38.9% of the 37 children described in the data below have accessed mental health support. NB Some children with Complex Needs may access support from CAMHS for issues around medication only. Other may have accessed universal support from school counsellors, ELSAs (school Emotional Literacy Support Assistants), mental health primary care workers or support from third sector organisations such as Letting the Future In.
5. The majority of children have had more than one social worker assigned to their case. Some children may have been open to Children's Services for lengthy periods, even when they may have been looked after for a much shorter duration.

There have been issues around the recruitment and retention of social workers in Jersey and elsewhere for some time. Part of the current improvement plan seeks to address these issues and as such we are attending a number of social worker recruitment fairs in 2019.