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Review Panel – Care of Children in Jersey
Record of Meeting
Date: 10th January 2018
Present | Deputy S.Y. Mézec , Chairman Deputy T.A. Vallois, Vice-Chairman Senator S.C. Ferguson, Items 7 - 10 Deputy M.R. Higgins |
Apologies |
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Absent |
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In attendance | Mr A. Harris , Scrutiny Officer |
Ref Back | Agenda matter | Action |
| 1. Records of Meetings The Review Panel noted and approved the records of the meetings held on 6th December and 20th December 2017. The Chairman signed them accordingly. |
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511/2/3 | 2. Resignation of Member The Review Panel noted that Deputy J.A. Hilton had resigned from the Review Panel in order to participate further in the Chief Minister's Social Policy Advisory group. The Review Panel expressed its thanks to Deputy J.A. Hilton for her contribution and hard work in the time she had spent with the Panel. |
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Item 2 06/12/17 | 3. Conflict of Interest Deputy M.R. Higgins noted that his constituency issue regarding Community and Social Services was still ongoing. The Review Panel recalled its previous agreement that in this instance, Deputy M.R. Higgins would refrain from questioning Community and Social Services on anything related to the issue. |
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Item 3 20/12/17 511/2/3/1 | 4. Recommendation One: A Commissioner for Children The Review Panel noted that a meeting had been arranged with the newly appointed Children's Commissioner, Mrs D. MacMillan, on Friday 19th January at 2:00pm. | AH |
Item 4 20/12/17 511/2/3/2 | 5. Recommendation 2: Giving Children and Young People a Voice The Review Panel noted that a letter was due to be sent to the Chief Minister requesting an update on the progress in appointing a Children's Rights Officer. The Review Panel recalled that this letter would request information as to how the role would sit with the Children's Commissioner, the legal framework for the role and why it was not being established as an independent post. The Review Panel noted that a request had been made to the Youth Service to arrange a meeting with the group of young people that had | AH AH |
| interviewed candidates for the role of Children's Commissioner. The Officer advised that details would be circulated upon confirmation. The Review Panel received information relating to the Voice and Participation Project (VAPP) that had been undertaken by the Educational Psychologists. The Review Panel agreed that it would request the data that informed phase one of the project from the Education Department. The Review Panel noted that information regarding the number of home schooled children in the Island had been requested and would be circulated in due course. | AH AH |
Item 5 20/12/17 511/2/3/4 | 6. Recommendation Four: Building a Sustainable Workforce The Panel noted that a meeting with the Chief Executive of the States was due to take place on Thursday 11th January. The Review Panel recalled that P.1/2018 Draft Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law 201-, had recently been lodged by the Chief Minister. It was noted that the draft legislation would install the Chief Executive of the States of Jersey as principle accountable Officer for public funds, in order to combat the silo mentality which had been raised within the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry. The Review Panel noted a draft letter to be sent to the Managing Director of Community and Social Services requesting updates on workforce training initiatives (including the proposed Jersey Practice Model). The Review Panel discussed and made minor changes to the letter. Subject to these changes, it was agreed that the letter could be sent. The Officer advised that questions Deputy M.R. Higgins had asked the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding workforce concerns were due to be circulated for Panel information. | AH AH AH |
511/2/3 | 7. Meetings with stakeholders The Review Panel noted that a meeting with the vice-chair of Victim Support Jersey was due to take place during the next Panel meeting on 24th January 2018. It was also noted that a meeting with the Independent Visitors for Young People was due to take place on Friday 26th January at 10:00am. The Officer advised that requests for meetings had been sent to Jersey Association for Family Therapy and Help a Jersey Child and would be confirmed in due course. The Review Panel agreed that it would write a letter to His Excellency, the Lieutenant Governor, requesting an update on the accountability systems that exist for Crown appointees in the Island. | AH AH |
511/2/3 | 8. Work being undertaken by other Panels The Review Panel noted that a large number of propositions had been brought forward for debate in the States Assembly, with many of them referencing the IJCI recommendations. | AH |
| The Review Panel noted that the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel was considering undertaking work in respect of P.120/2017 "Social Housing in Jersey: Introduction of a Regulatory Framework and had recently published a comments paper on the Draft Health and Safety (Rented Dwellings) (Jersey) Law 201-. It was intended that further work would be undertaken on this proposition as well. The Education and Home Affairs Panel was due to undertake a review of the Draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law once it had been lodged. It was noted that a Sub-Panel had been formed to review P.118/2017 Draft Criminal Procedure (Jersey) Law 201-. Senator S.C. Ferguson informed the Panel that the Corporate Services Panel intended to review P.1/2018 Draft Machinery of Government (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Jersey) Law 201-. The Health and Social Security Panel was not currently undertaking any work relating to issues within the IJCI, although it was noted that the Panel had brought forward a proposition seeking the reinstatement of the single parent component of Income Support. |
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Item 9 20/12/17 511/2/3 | 9. Panel Reporting The Panel recalled that the Chief Minister had emailed all States Members informing them of his decision to bring forward P.108/2017 Independent Jersey Care Inquiry: implementation of recommendations as a report for an in-committee debate. It was noted that the Chief Minister was due to seek Members' approval for a date to undertake the debate. The Panel approved a letter to the Chief Minister that asked for clarification of the debate date and explained the Panel's intention to produce a comments paper detailing the work it had carried out to date. The Panel discussed the format that the comments paper would take and agreed to present an outline of the work it had undertaken in respect of each recommendation in the IJCI. | AH AH |
511/2/3 | 10. Future Meetings The Review Panel noted that its next meeting was due to take place at 9:30am on Wednesday 24th January 2018 in the Le Capelain Room, States Building. |
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