Jersey to debate new children’s advocacy regulations

Proposed regulations in Jersey aim to grant children and young people increased influence over decisions affecting their lives. Constable Richard Vibert, the Minister for Children and Families, has put forward this proposition for new regulations, advocating for children’s voices to be considered in choices concerning their health and wellbeing. The States Assembly is scheduled to discuss this proposition in February. At present, independent advocacy services for Jersey’s children and young people are provided voluntarily rather than being legally required. A public consultation on the draft regulations took place from December 2023 through February 2024. These regulations articulate that the justification for creating statutory independent advocacy for children and young people in Jersey originates from “the need to ensure children’s voices are heard in key decisions that affect their lives”. Should these regulations be approved, the minister for children and families would be obligated to appoint independent advocates. These advocates would deliver services to children with health or developmental needs, children under the minister’s care, individuals leaving care, and children subject to safeguarding arrangements. Direct invitations were extended to significant figures in the independent advocacy sector and professionals assisting eligible individuals to participate in the consultation. The government stated this process guaranteed the draft regulations were thoroughly informed and incorporated a wide array of viewpoints. Certain groups of children and young people, including those who had utilized independent advocacy or stood to gain from it in the future, responded anonymously to questions regarding their experiences with the service. They were also queried on potential improvements and their future expectations for the service. Barnardo’s Jersey facilitated this particular aspect of the process. Readers can follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Story suggestions may be sent to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Details regarding our external linking policy are available.