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Public memorial for victims of abuse

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WQ.120/2020

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

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 9th MARCH 2020

Question

Will the Minister provide a timeline of the work that was undertaken that led to the announcement of a public memorial for the victims of abuse?

Answer

The announcement, on 14 February 2020, of the opportunity to submit designs for the Jersey Care Memorial, followed over two and a half years of thorough work to develop an approach to deliver Recommendation 8b of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry. The creation and ongoing facilitation of a Citizens Panel has ensured that the views of survivors have been taken into account and enabled them to guide the process of implementing their recommendations.

The timeline for Jersey Care Memorial project is as follows:

3 July 2017:  Publication of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry which recommends, "some

form of tangible public acknowledgement of those that have been ill served by the care system over many decades."

31 October 2017:  P.108/2017 - Independent Jersey Care Inquiry Report: Implementation of

Recommendations lodged by the Council of Ministers. Ministers proposed that,

"a Citizen Panel is commissioned to develop preferred options for a memorial,

which will ensure survivors can be respected and honoured in decades to come." November –  Research undertaken regarding memorialisation of victims and survivors of December 2017  abuse. Brief developed for independent, expert facilitation of a Citizens Panel. 18 December 2017:  Invitation to Tender for the design and delivery of a Citizens Panel launched on

Channel Island Tender Portal

13 February 2018:  Preferred supplier confirmed following tender evaluation and presentation

4 April 2018:  Recruitment of Panel members commences via Jersey Post random letter drop

and approaches to survivors via intermediaries

24 April 2018:  Second phase recruitment of Panel members via media campaign and advertising 13 May 2018 -  The Citizens Panel meets for five days to consider: How can the people of

Jersey best remember the past abuse of children while in the Island's care system?' before developing recommendations

24 June 2018:  Citizens Panel present their four-part Legacy Project recommendations to the

Chief Minister (private briefing)

4 July 2018:  Legacy Project presented to Council of Ministers, which is accepted in principle. July to October 2018:  Means of implementing the Legacy Project scoped

3 & 4 November 2018: Citizens Panel reconvened to consider the proposals for implementing the Legacy

Project. Weighbridge Place is identified as the preferred location for the memorial, following exploration of planning and heritage issues.

28 November 2018:  Legacy Project implementation paper presented to Council of Ministers. Part A

(public) minutes recorded: "The Council was content to note the progress made towards realisation of the Citizens Panel recommendations and approved the next steps proposed in the Report. Officers were directed to take the necessary action."

December 2018 –  Liaison to progress confirmation of a site for the memorial

May 2019:

January 2019:  Treasury Minister agrees to allocate funds (from the balance of the £23m

allocation for the Care Inquiry process), for the realisation of the memorial March 2019:  Design brief and evaluation criteria developed for the memorial tender process

14 & 22 May 2019:  Citizens Panel meet privately with the returning Care Inquiry Panel before also

attending a public round table discussion about Legacy Issues.

August 2019:  The Citizens Panel responds to a request from the Care of Children in Jersey

Review Panel, regarding progress towards implementing their recommendations, noting that: "There have been constant obstacles to agreeing a site for the memorial" and suggesting: "a) priority should be given at a senior level to confirming the site for the memorial as soon as possible; b) commit resources

and take action."

23 September 2019:  In their Two-Year Review, the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry Panel stated:

"We heard from the Citizens Panel, which was set up following the publication

of our report, and from the officers who have worked alongside the members of

the Panel. Their work has been commendable and we understand that there is a

commitment to taking their recommendations forward, with funding having been

set aside. The creation of a memorial, of an emblem and the establishment of an

annual Children's day, will be very visible features of remembrance. It will be

important that the commitments made are seen through. We hope that there will

be widespread respect amongst islanders for what is planned. we would

recommend that the memorial commissioned is a high-quality piece of public art,

which attracts interaction with both islanders and the many visitors to the island." December 2019:  Jersey Development Company confirm the memorial can be located at

Weighbridge Place  

12 January 2020:  Agreement to proceed with a choice of two potential sites for the Care Memorial

within Weighbridge Place

14 February 2020:  Invitation to Tender for the Design and Realisation of the Care Memorial

launched on Channel Island Tender Portal

Looking Ahead

30 April 2020:  Care Memorial tender closes

18 to 20 June 2020:  Public exhibition of shortlisted entries

3 July 2020:  Announcement of final design

July 2020 –  Planning process, fabrication and installation of memorial June 2022:

3 July 2022:  Care Memorial to be unveiled in Weighbridge Place