Children's Commissioner, Deborah McMillan, Open Letter to Chief Minister John Le Fondre.

 

Children's Commissioner Deborah McMillan

Dear Chief Minister                                                                                          

12 May 2021

Ref: Minister for Children and Education

I am writing with regard to the role of Minister for Children and Education and seeking reassurance of a commitment to appoint a ‘full time’ Minister as soon as possible following the announcement of temporary arrangements.

On 24^th January I received a call from Charlie Parker who said that you had asked him to speak to me regarding your plan to split the Ministerial roles for Housing and Children and to form a combined role for Children and Education.  I provided my advice and followed this up with a letter. My advice was to form a new Ministerial role with responsibility for all aspects of children’s lives that mirrors the new Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department.  In effect, a children’s rights minister with a cross-cutting role to reflect the breadth of children’s rights. This would mean that the Minister would be able to focus on joining up legislation, policy and practice development that seeks to ensure children’s needs are understood and met, and the best interests of children are paramount. I offered to work with the appointee to provide training and guidance on children’s rights as part of any induction, as well as an ongoing close working relationship with the Minister.

Former(?) Education/Children's Minister Jeremy Macon

On 9^th February Deputy Maçon was elected Minister for Children and Education, and on 1^st March he appointed two Assistant Ministers: Deputy Pointon for CAMHS; and Deputy Wickenden to assist with the education portfolio.

On 24^th March it was announced that, as Chief Minister, you had removed Deputy Maçon from these duties and that you would hold the portfolio for Children and Education until further notice. Deputy Wickenden took on additional responsibilities at that time.

I know that you have valued having dedicated Ministers for the roles of Education and Children, and I valued having a close working relationship with the previous post holders, which gave me the opportunity to spend time with them to provide guidance and advice.  However, since January 2021 I have had little engagement with either Deputy Maçon or Wickenden. My first meeting with Deputy Wickenden was on 22^nd April (at my insistence) to discuss an urgent issue at Victoria College.

Deputy Scott Wickenden

We agreed to hold regular catchup meetings so that I could go through key children’s rights issues with him; however, Deputy Wickenden failed to turn up to the first of those meetings, with no apology or explanation given. 

I appreciate that both Deputies hold wide portfolios and have a number of competing pressures, but I am concerned that the temporary arrangements that you have put in place have now resulted in a lack of ministerial oversight with regard to children and all aspects of their lives. I strongly recommend that you appoint a permanent role as a matter of urgency. The draft Children and Young people Mental Health Strategy, the Jersey Children’s Social Care Services Plan, and the Children’s Plan all set out a compelling vision and require committed, strong political leadership, particularly as we move into a recovery phase following the pandemic.

I would be pleased to discuss this further with you.

Yours sincerely

Deborah McMillan

Children’s Commissioner for Jersey (END)

Senator Sam Mezec (VoNC) Interview.

Senator Sam Mezec

Further to our PREVIOUS POST  earlier today where we published the resignation letter (of now former) Children's and Housing Minister Senator Sam Mezec. Ahead of tomorrow's Vote of No Confidence (VoNC) against Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondre, we were granted an in-depth interview with Senator Sam Mezec (below).

We wanted to ask; "if the VoNC is successful, then what happens?" "How likely is it to happen?" "Are we heading for an Ian Gorst, by proxy, Government should Chief Minister Le Fondre lose the vote?" "Are the numbers there to dethrone him?"

We discussed the "government within a Government" as mentioned by Deputy Inna Gardiner on State Radio this morning but first brought to our attention back in 2010 by (possibly illegally) suspended Chief Police Officer GRAHAM POWER QPM. where Civil Servants, and Law Offices, are running the show, usurping the democratic process with complete impunity. Will the new Chief Minister (if there is one) tackle this huge problem of a government within a government?

Further explored is the idea that Chief Executive Officer Charlie Parker might be trying to cure the island of "The Jersey Way" and like all others before him (who have tackled the issue) is becoming a victim of it as a result? We need only think of Stuart Syvret, Lenny Harper, Graham Power, Shona and Trevor Pitman to name but a few.

Much more is discussed in this very informative interview such as the "choice" we have should John Le Fondre lose the vote. So far we have three options (sic) on the table for Chief Minister. They are:

Option 1 A right-wing Conservative, and staunch supporter of "The Jersey Way." (John Le Fondre)

Option 2 A  right-wing Conservative, and staunch supporter of "The Jersey Way." (Kristina Moore)

Option 3 A  right-wing Conservative, and staunch supporter of "The Jersey Way." Lyndon Farnham (if as rumoured he will be throwing his hat in the ring)

Could we have a fourth option of a left-wing socialist throwing their hat in the ring...........................................? Watch the video and find out.........................

Reform Jersey Support Vote of No Confidence.

The leader of Jersey's only political party (Reform Jersey) Senator Sam Mezec has resigned his positions as Minister for Children and for Housing in the lead up to the vote of no confidence against Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondre which is due to be debated in the island's parliament tomorrow (Tues 10th November 2020)

Fellow party member, Deputy Montfort Tadier, has also resigned his position as Assistant Minister for Economic Development.

Reform Jersey, which has five elected States Members, will all be supporting the Vote of No Confidence against the Chief Minister. Those five votes could prove to be pivotal.

Below is the Press Release published by Reform Jersey and below that is the resignation letter, sent to Chief Minister John Le Fondre, by Senator Sam Mezec.

Press Release – Embargoed until 6am on Monday 9^th November 

Reform Jersey to support ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in the Chief Minister

Following recent events surrounding the Chief Executive Officer of the Government of Jersey taking on a non-executive directorship for a UK-based real estate company, and the failure of the Chief Minister to show adequate leadership, Reform Jersey’s elected States Members will be supporting the Vote of No Confidence on Tuesday.

Senator Sam Mézec and Deputy Montfort Tadier have formally resigned their roles as Minister for Children and Housing, and Assistant Minister for Economic Development, respectively.

Party Leader Senator Sam Mézec said “Reform Jersey members have played a constructive role since the last election, both in and out of government, to implement our manifesto pledges, and we are proud of our record. We have spoken out in recent months about our concerns that the government has been failing on its commitment to ‘Reduce Income Inequality’ and that there is an undemocratic culture in parts of the civil service which sees elected members obstructed when trying to carry out their policies.”

“Last week, I, alongside other ministers, made clear our view that the CEO should not also hold a non-executive directorship with a private sector company. A week has gone by, and this decision has been treated with contempt. If the Council of Ministers was in charge of the island, this decision would have been implemented by now, but it has not. The Chief Minister exercised poor judgement in allowing this in the first place, and by allowing the States Employment Board to give retrospective permission for this appointment, he has tied our hands and left us in an untenable position.”

Deputy Montfort Tadier said “We do not take this decision lightly, but it has come to the point where we can no longer support this Chief Minister with a clear conscience. He has been weak or absent on key policies such as the landlords register, electoral reform, and reducing income inequality. This latest development is the final straw.”

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Resignation letter of Senator Sam Mezec.

Senator Sam Mézec

States Assembly Morier House St Helier
JE1 1DD

8th November 2020

Dear Chief Minister,

I write to you with regret, in accordance with Article 22 of the States of Jersey Law 2005, to resign my position as Minister for Children and Housing.

I confirm that I have the support of my Reform Jersey colleagues in doing this, and that it is our intention to support the Vote of No Confidence motion being debated by the Assembly on Tuesday.

As you know, I have felt for some time that our government has fallen short on the commitments we made in the Common Strategic Policy to ‘Reduce Income Inequality’. After two years of nominally including this in our work programme, I believe there is no evidence at all that this has been achieved. Where I have pushed for our policies to go further to achieve this aim, I have met constant resistance both politically and administratively.

Reforming our social housing rents policy was a cornerstone of the manifesto I was elected by the public on, but I have felt obstructed by officers who I ought to be able to rely on to implement my policy decisions. I have received more support from bodies outside of government than inside and have constantly had to manoeuvre through the civil service to have my policy positions accepted. When fighting for an Andium Homes rent freeze over the last few months, I discovered officers had pursued a funding arrangement for this which I had explicitly ruled out. This should not be the case in a democracy.

I was extremely disappointed earlier this year when the Environment Minister was let down by yourself and other government colleagues in the States Assembly when, after a year of hard work, he brought forward regulations to introduce a landlord licencing scheme to improve housing standards for renters and to protect their health and safety. Before the debate, your support was sought, and you declined to tell us that you would not support us, leaving us to discover this during the debate itself. Because of this, I can have no confidence that I will not be treated the same way if I attempt to see through my ambitions to establish rent stabilisation measures, which are evidenced throughout Europe to improve affordability of private rental housing, but which will inevitably concern investors. A government should always be on the side of the people, not investors.

On top of this, a refusal to back moves to increase the Minimum Wage and achieve progressive tax reform (amongst other missed opportunities) shows that the government’s commitment to ‘Reduce Income Inequality’ is in tatters.

But now the Assembly is asked to decide whether we have confidence in you as Chief Minister, after recent events surrounding the Chief Executive Officer taking on a non-executive directorship for a UK company.

Last weekend, the government made clear our view that the CEO should not hold a private sector NED for a UK company. We are now a week later, and there are no signs that this view will be respected. Statements which have been published have said nothing of value and have clearly angered the public.

I believe that the fault for this lies with you. You exercised bad judgement in verbally approving the request from the CEO to take on another role (in contrast with the Deputy Chief Minister’s position on this) and then in allowing the SEB to provide retrospective permission, before properly consulting with the government. This is a mistake which could cost the public.

I find myself asking the question “who runs Jersey, the elected government or the civil service?” That question should not even be fathomable in a democratic society.

I am deeply disappointed that I have to relinquish my role as minister in order to make this stand, but my conscience will not allow me to do otherwise. To not do so would be to act as if nothing is wrong.

I am proud of all that I have achieved as Minister for Children and Housing. I believe I have exceeded the expectations of those who believed I was not capable of working outside of political opposition, and I believe both of my portfolios are in a substantially better position than when I inherited them. The team I have worked most closely with (in CYPES, IHE , SPPP and the MSU) have been outstanding public servants who have given their hearts and souls to ‘Putting Children First’ and I know they will continue to do so. I am also grateful for the support Andium has given me, and I regret how badly they are often let down by undemocratic government processes.

Where some may have lost faith in me, believing I had “gone to the other side” or watered down my principles in order to hold office, I hope that my actions will show that, for me, the public of Jersey always have and always will come first.

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry Two Year Review. (Part 2)

IJCI Panel

On the 25th September 2019 we published PART ONE of our series concerning the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry's (IJCI) second damming REPORT into the "care" of children in Jersey. In our previous posting we said:

"In the coming weeks we intend on publishing excerpts of the Report which we think will be of interest to our readers/viewers."

And:

"In part two of this series we will publish the interview with Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondre, and Children's Minister, Senator Sam Mezec."

Below is that interview, and among other topics, we discuss the two paragraphs, from the IJCI second report and they are:

Attorney General Robert McRae

18  "There are two aspects of the new Children’s Commissioner legislation which cause us concern. First, it is essential that the Commissioner should have access to all documentation she requires in pursuit of any inquiry. Amendments to the legislation allowed legal advice given by the Law Officers Department to be withheld from the Commissioner, albeit with a provision that the Attorney General could make such advice available if he believed it to be in the public interest, having first applied a public interest test. Whilst we fully understand the importance of the convention that legal advice is not disclosed, we consider that, in setting the arrangement as it now stands, there is a real likelihood of suspicion being generated that critical matters are being covered up and that the “Jersey Way” is being perpetuated. We will come back to the “Jersey Way” later, but suffice to say, arrangements which could be seen to perpetuate this undermining belief should be avoided. To that end, we recommend that the presumption by the Law Officers Department should be framed to indicate that relevant legal advice will be made available to the Commissioner and withheld only where a public interest test is met for non-disclosure. This would symbolise a willingness to be open and transparent in most circumstances, since we believe that there should be few circumstances where it would not be appropriate to let the Commissioner have sight of legal advice, given the very direct impact such advice can have on the long-term outcome for a child." 

Former (possibly illegally suspended) Chief of Police Graham Power QPM

21 "Whilst we would hope that it never becomes necessary to remove a Children’s Commissioner from post, it is nonetheless vital that robust arrangements are in place should the need arise. This is important for the protection of the office but also for the protection of the Commissioner, so that she can undertake her duties without fear of repercussions. The current provision in legislation for ending the appointment of a commissioner is for the Chief Minister and the President of the Chairmen’s Committee to bring forward a proposal to that effect, which would be presented to a sitting of the States Assembly held in-camera. Whilst the Commissioner would have a right to make written representations to the Assembly, we consider it essential that she should be entitled to make representations in person during the in-camera session. We accept that on matters of this nature, regard must be given to protecting the privacy of the Commissioner, hence the need for proceedings to take place in a private session. We consider the Commissioner should also have the right to waive that facility in favour of an open public consideration. Our concern here is to ensure that circumstances, similar to those which pertained at the time of the removal from office of the former Chief Officer of Police, are not replicated. Jersey must demonstrate that it will deal with such a matter in ways which will evidence fairness and as much transparency as possible. We therefore recommend that in reviewing the law, consideration be given to achieving the objective of fully demonstrable fairness in any proceedings to remove a Children’s Commissioner from office."

Readers/viewers will note from the above two paragraphs that "The Jersey Way" remains prevalent which is mentioned further in the report and we will look to explore in more detail as part of this series. 

Regular readers/viewers will also know that following the (possibly illegal) suspension of the former Police Chief, the then Home Affairs Minister, Ian Le Marquand, possibly broke the law by publishing a redacted version of the prosecution case made against the former Chief Police Officer. Indeed he went on a media roadshow with it and conducted his own KANGAROO COURT with it. Graham Power subsequently wrote his interim DEFENCE CASE to the Wiltshire Constabulary's prosecution case which Ian Le Marquand refused to publish. It was then leaked to The BBC, who along with the rest of the Old Media, had been broadcasting/publishing parts of the prosecution case, but despite being leaked the defence case decided to BURY IT. It was subsequently leaked to the rest of the Island's Old Media who too decided to bury it. The prosecution case is published on the States of Jersey website and STILL the defence case is only published on THIS BLOG. To this day NONE of the local Old Media (to the best of our knowledge) have reported a single word of it. Equally as unjust the defence case does NOT sit alongside the prosecution case on the States website.

During the interview with the Chief Minister/Children's Minister (below) I reminded the Chief Minister that the last time WE SPOKE  (over a year ago) he said he would "look in to it" (the injustice of having the prosecution case on the State website and not the defence case) and would "get back to me." He hadn't/hasn't got back to me. He has once more assured me that he "will look into it."

As mentioned in the video interview; are we just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic? The way Jersey is constructed, and particularly the many hats worn by the (conflicted) Attorney General's Office, is the biggest problem? No matter what avenues one goes down they all seem to lead to the door of the AG. This too is discussed in the video interview. We/regular readers will know that not all  (if any) AG's have been as acquainted with the truth as one would HOPE. 

The fact that the AG's Office seek to withhold legal advice from the Children's commissioner is 
(or could be seen as) The Jersey Way. Similarly the secretive way the Children's Commissioner can be gotten rid of is (or can be seen as) The Jersey Way. Readers/viewers, after watching the interview, will have to make up their mind as to whether assurances/answers given by the Chief Minister, and Children's Minister, are enough to keep today's/tomorrow's children, and whistleblowers, safe?

As we did, in PART ONE of this series, we asked the Chief Minister and Children's Minister if all the positive parts of the damming REPORT were overshadowed by a (distraught) lady making (at the IJCI presentation) "a number of allegations against Children's Services/Social Workers and the "care" of children, by the State, in General. Claiming continued cover-ups, being stonewalled and her child(ren), along with herself being failed by a system that's trying to protect itself."

Deputy Mike Higgins

We are aware that due to the intervention of Deputy Mike Higgins that the lady's case is (finally) being looked at. This is a case that we might return to on the Blog but things do look to be going in a more positive direction than what they were.

On a slightly more positive note we (VFC/Bloggers/New Media) are pleased for the recognition, and SUPPORT, of the IJCI and we are also pleased to have that same support (mentioned in video interview) from the Chief Minister and Children's Minister who we thank for this interview.

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry Two Year Review. (Part 1)

IJCI Panel

Two days ago (23rd September 2019) saw the publication/presentation of the IJCI two year review REPORT. It was presented at St.Paul's centre by former Panel Member Francis Oldham QC and filmed in its entirety (approx 1h 15mins) by VFC and others. Should readers/viewers wish to see the presentation let us know and if there is sufficient interest we will upload it to YouTube.

The review/report was to gauge the progress (or otherwise) of the eight RECOMMENDATIONS made in its original damming REPORT.  From what we have read of the report it does seem fairly balanced in that it is critical and complimentary but we are not sure of how equal a measure.

Team Voice would like firstly and foremost to pay tribute to the brave Survivors who could muster up the courage to tell their story one more time to this Panel and finally be believed. The Inquiry did not get the Survivors any justice and that could be down to the fact that "JUSTICE" doesn't exist in Jersey. Your evidence is there for all to see and for the authorities who failed you to wallow in shame, the Inquiry vindicated you. Hopefully one day your abusers WILL face that justice.

We would also like to give a special mention to a special lady, and heroic Survivor, who sadly lost her life on the 18th of December 2015 Dannie Jarman. Dannie gave her evidence to the Inquiry, with the support of Rico Sorda and two other courageous ladies and stalwarts of fighting for Survivors Jill Gracia and Carrie Modral. We are sorry, firstly for the tragic and untimely loss of Dannie, and sorry she never got to see the Inquiry's final report(s).

Liz Mackean

Tribute was payed by the Panel to a brave/fearless journalist who was working with/for the Inquiry Panel until her untimely death LIZ MACKEAN. Liz suffered a fatal stroke and her death was announced on 18th August 2017. Readers should click on the link above to appreciate her journalistic integrity and fearless journalism in attempting to out Jimmy Savile. On principal she resigned from The BBC who chose to protect Britain's most prolific paedophile.

Following the address from the Panel Chair, Francis Oldham QC, VFC was granted an interview with Panel Member Sandy Cameron who we have interviewed PREVIOUSLY. We discussed the latest set of recommendations from the Panel, whether Jersey is a safer place as a result of the Panel's recommendations, were any positive changes, supposedly made by the implementation of some recommendations overshadowed by a lady in the audience who proclaimed "The Jersey Way" is still prevalent on the Island?

The lady made a number of allegations against Children's Services/Social Workers and the "care" of children, by the State, in General. Claiming continued cover-ups, being stonewalled and her child(ren), along with herself being failed by a system that's trying to protect itself.

You could hear in the lady's voice and see in her demeanour that she was at the end of her tether, possibly after being sent from pillar to post and coming up against brick walls. We are aware that Deputy Mike Higgins is helping her with her case and appears to be the only politician/person willing to help or listen to her. We believe that after Deputy Higgins's involvement the lady now has a meeting organised with Children's Minister Senator Sam Mezec. We are told that she will only attend if Deputy Higgins is present. We filmed around eight minutes of the lady's outburst but have decided for the time being NOT to publish the film footage until we can edit it to a standard where her family members/service users can't be identified. We might follow up on this case and will keep readers/viewers posted. It certainly does suggest she, and her family, are victims of "The Jersey Way."

VFC

Among other subjects discussed in the interview, including "The Jersey Way" secrecy of the Attorney General's Office, the possible more secrecy from the new role being discussed of an Ombudsman, we discussed the role of Bloggers/New Media in holding power to account. We are humbled to learn that the Panel is supportive of our work and recognises "the key role played (by New Media) in exposing key issues in Jersey." Bloggers/New Media are also referred to favourably (and quoted) in the latest Review/Report:

"The events that gave rise to the investigations of‘Operation Rectangle’ and led to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, fostered the growth of social media commentators in Jersey who determinedly advocated for victims and for transparency in governmental and criminal justice operations and continue to do so vigorously."

VFC was also humbled to be invited, by the Panel, to meet for an informal chat and a coffee, the day after the presentation (yesterday) of its Report/Review. The invitation was gratefully accepted where we were able to chat freely about our agreements/disagreements, mutual respect in certain areas, and the need for New Media/Campaigners to continue being a voice for the voiceless. We thank the Panel for its continued support.

In the coming weeks we intend on publishing excerpts of the Report which we think will be of interest to our readers/viewers.

In part two of this series we will publish the interview with Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondre, and Children's Minister, Senator Sam Mezec.

Deputy Montfort Tadier Suspension.

Deputy Montfort Tadier

Deputy Montfort Tadier was suspended (Fri 29th March 2009) from his duty as Assistant Minister for culture. The decision to immediately suspend the Deputy was made by Chief Minister John Le Fondre following an email exchange between a few States Members (including the Chief Minister) where there was a discussion about the prescribing of medicinal cannabis (or not) for patients with chronic pain.

Deputy Tadier, it would appear, was calling for the dismissal of a pain consultant who, it seems, has refused to prescribe the pain reliving drug despite the the Island's parliament voting overwhelmingly to allow cannabis to be prescribed. The pain consultant was copied into the e-mail. The e-mail itself (from Deputy Tadier) was a reply to an ongoing thread and was not a stand-alone e-mail calling for the pain consultants dismissal. (As some media outlets would have you believe)

So firstly this is not some surreptitious Machiavellian conspiracy to get rid of a States employee on Deputy Tadier's behalf, it was an open, honest and transparent call for the employee to go. The employee could have responded to the e-mail fighting his corner. We've not seen evidence that this has happened. 

For those who keep an eye on Jersey politics; the calling of the pain consultants dismissal/removal is nothing new. Deputy Tadier has made his position clear in a number of States debates including HERE.

The old media (formerly known as "mainstream" media) has been doing what it always does and "reported" (or not) on this story but to the best of our knowledge "questioned" nothing. That's where the "New" Media (formerly known as "Social" Media) continues to carry the slack and actually question the government line rather than just report (repeat) it.

We ask: Has the Chief Minister overplayed the severity of the incident by suggesting there could be a claim for constructive dismissal?

As far as we understand it; JACS states that constructive dismissal occurs when an employee considers it necessary to leave their job against their will because of the employers conduct.

We ask: Surely Deputy Tadier isn't the employer? The employer is the States Employment Board? Could a case of constructive dismissal really have any merit?

Since the "offending e-mail" had nothing to do with the Ministry Deputy Tadier has responsibility for (culture), nor did it relate to a member of his department, then one must assume he was acting as an independent States Member.

We ask: Is the Chief Minister over-looking these facts in order to justify the severity of his (what looks to be) over the top, (and possibly wrong) sanction? How can an independent Member of the States be bound by the Ministerial Code of Conduct?

We hope to follow up on this developing story very soon and also hope to have as many answers as questions.

Chief Minister John Le Fondre Interview (Part 2 or 2).

Chief Minister John Le Fondre

Part two of our exclusive interview with the Chief Minister is a direct continuation of part one. In part two we ask such questions as "who is the opposition in the States now that the opposition has been recruited by the Establishment?" Was this a genuine move on the Chief Minister's behalf to finally have a more inclusive government or was it a cynical move in order to silence the opposition? Is Reform Jersey (Jersey's only political party) now the Establishment? Who, in the States Chamber, with any political experience, and who are not members of the Establishment Party, is left to scrutinise what the government is doing?

Regular readers will be aware from our INTERVIEW with Children's and Housing Minister, Senator Sam Mezec, that he (Senator Mezec) agreed to adopt the terminology suggested by The National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) when referring to child abuse to use the term "non recent" rather than the derogatory and offensive term "historic." We are pleased to report that the Chief Minister has also agreed to adopt this terminology from NAPAC media GUIDELINES. We hope that others will follow suit and in particular the mainstream media who even refer to present day Child Abuse as "historic." This BLOG POSTING explains, from the perspective of Survivor/Abusee Tom Perry the word "historic" is used and who uses it.


We go on to ask the Chief Minister what can we expect from his government that is different from any other government we have had? Can there be any much needed change or is it just the same old with different faces? Only time will tell.

We would like to thank the Chief Minister for his support of Citizen's Media and in particular for the positive feedback of (and during) our interview/Blog. He believes we are a force for good in holding power and the mainstream media to account.

Part one of our interview can be viewed HERE.

Cheif Minster John Le Fondre Interview (Part 1 of 2).

Chief Minister John Le Fondre

Since Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondre, was elected earlier this year, VFC has been trying to secure an interview with him. Because of logistics it was not able to happen until a couple of days ago. (Tues 11 Set 2018). This is the first in-depth video interview he has given since his election.

The Chief Minister had generously put aside 45 minutes (of his very busy schedule) for our interview. Unfortunately because the States meeting, on Tuesday, ran over time in the morning, his schedule was a little put out but was still able to afford us 20 minutes for the (two part) interview and for that we are grateful.

As the interview was conducted during the States meeting lunch break it was not known at this stage that the current Bailiff WILLIAM BAILHACHE was to announce his retirement. However as we are committed to seeing the recommendations of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (IJCI) implemented, we did quiz him about RECOMMENDATION 7 which deals with "The Jersey Way" and the position of Bailiff.

Former Police Chief Graham Power QPM

We also asked the Chief Minister, among much more, if he was going to right some of the wrongs of the past concerning the (possibly illegal) suspension of the former Police Chief Graham Power QPM. His response wasn't as positive as we would have liked but we believe/hope he is as good as his word and will look into it and then do the right thing.

We thank the Chief Minister for his support of Citizens Media and of our Blog (more in part two of interview).

 Part 1 (of 2)

Jersey Care Commission/Ofsted Report.

The Jersey Care Commission (JCC) was set up in the wake of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (IJCI) but quite what its remit is is a little of a mystery as yet. There is little information online and as it is still relatively young, it does not, as yet, have its own website. JCC invited Ofsted to inspect Jersey's Child Care system, which it has done, and produced another damming report. The report isn't online yet so we will publish a link when it becomes available.

This morning JCC held a Press conference presenting the report and to answer questions from the media and the public. VFC went down on the off-chance they may be allowed entry and film the Conference. We are pleased to say we were made to feel extremely welcome and the Commission members were very accommodating, appeared enthusiastic, open and transparent about their work. This in itself could hopefully be part of the cultural change so badly needed in Jersey where those who question authority have been marginalised and pushed to the sidelines. Bloggers and Social Media publishers are now being recognised as legitimate commentators? The JCC is independent of the States and pretty much of Jersey so may be it is just them who are so accommodating at Press Conferences? We did film the entire Press Conference and will look to publish the video to Youtube.

When more information, and the report, become available we shall publish it.

In the meantime below is a short video of VFC asking a few questions of the Commission's Chairman.







Directly after the JCC there was a Press Conference held by, among others, Children's Minister Senator Sam Mezec, and Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondre. They want all States Members to sign a pledge to children which consists of 8 commitments.

The Pledge to Jersey’s Children and Young People has eight specific commitments:

1. We will listen directly to children and young people and involve them in how we design, deliver and review our services
2. We will provide integrated support for families that need extra help caring for their children
3. We will provide all children in our care with access to a safe, loving, secure home environment
4. We will expand, join up and target our early help offer to ensure that children and young people get the support they need when they need it, to prevent risk and issues from escalating
5. We will recruit and retain a child-centred, stable, highly professional workforce
6. We will make it easier for data and insight across organisations to be shared so that, when assessing how best to meet their needs, we look at children’s and young people’s lives as a whole
7. We will ensure that sufficient funding is available to be effective and that any regulatory and legislative changes needed will be progressed swiftly
8. We will set and publish clear standards and we will be held publicly to account for achieving them.

VFC was also welcomed to film and ask questions at this conference, again, we filmed the entire Conference and will look to publish the full version on Youtube.

Below is a video of questions asked by VFC.