This followed a comment piece in this Parenting column last month when I was refused an ‘Entitled’ card.
The reasons given at the time, by a member of staff in Social Security, were that there were ‘gaps in my employment’ when I had taken maternity leave.
I was then asked to prove that I had never left the Island during those periods.
In order to gain an Entitled status and prove I had continuous residency for ten years I was asked to instruct three of my friends to write me a reference saying that I had never left the Island.
I’ve been in employment since I moved to Jersey in 2004 and the only time I took a break was for maternity leave, in 2010 for six months and in 2012 for two months.
I was also informed that the reference could not be from my employer.
It had to be from ‘three close friends who saw me during these periods’ and they would need to put their phone numbers on the letter so that the population office could ring them to confirm.
Since the article was published I have been contacted by a number of other mums with similar experiences.
And having investigated it further, the Chief Minister’s Department, who hold responsibility for the Control of Housing and Work Law and Regulations, have apologised and revealed that mothers, like me, who have taken maternity leave now need only to show their child’s red developmental health book to prove that they didn’t leave the Island.
I understand that there need to be strict checks in place when these new ID cards are issued but it is reassuring to hear that the department has now implemented a more reasonable system for mothers who may have ‘gaps’ in their employment when they had taken maternity leave.
Tina Worboys, housing control manager at the Population Office, said: ‘Firstly please let me apologise for the frustrating encounter you experienced when trying to obtain a registration card at Social Security.
‘As a department we are continually striving to improve the ease with which individuals can get a registration card and have made significant progress in this area, with 58% of individual records showing residential and employment statuses updated from existing records.
‘In your particular case, and given the reason for the ”gaps” in your employer contribution history, it would have been preferable if you had been asked to present your children’s red child development books, showing attendance at clinics for weigh-ins and immunisations, which I feel confident would have filled the highlighted ”gaps”. We strive to provide the highest level of service to all of our customers and I apologise if we did not get it right on this occasion.’
She continued: ‘It is important to get feedback from customers in order that we can continually improve the level of service that we provide, and I apologise for any inconvenience caused to you as a result of your visit to the department.’
Following the introduction of the new legislation in July 2013, the Social Security Department and Population Office have linked up their databases so that they can issue cards to people who have continuous contribution records straight away.
The JEP has learned that there have been some ‘staff teething problems’ implementing this fairly new policy.
Mrs Worboys said that the department was continually re-evaluating its policies and procedures and that they were working with States departments to continue to improve the service.
‘Work is ongoing with the Education Department in relation to obtaining consent from children to access/use their school attendance data for the purposes of establishing their residential and employment status, even prior to them leaving school at 16. In addition, we are hoping to explore closer working relationships and data sharing with Health and Social Services, and improved co-operation with the individual parishes.’
1.
‘My husband and I came to Jersey in November 1964 and have lived and worked in the Island ever since. After completing our 20 years’ residence living in a flat, saving every penny, we were finally able to move into our own house with our two daughters in July 1985 after attending the Royal Court to pass contract. Last year our neighbours needed to sell off two fields, to raise money for nursing care. We agreed to buy the fields and contacted our lawyer, to be told that we would require cards from Social Security to confirm our residency.
‘Like you, I was only given an ”Entitled to work” card because there were gaps in my employment history. I was horrified and upset, having thought that I was considered a ‘local’, having lived in Jersey for 40 years.
‘Having approached a close friend and a neighbour for references I now have my ‘Entitled’ card – although being retired I will probably never need it again – but it is the principle of the matter. I did not appreciate the idea that my word was not trusted, in that I had not left the Island for any length of time.’
2.
‘I arrived in Jersey 1980, was married to a Jerseyman in 1983 and went on to have two Jersey beans in 1986 and 1993.
‘I have worked in Jersey but was fortunate enough while the children were small not to have to work full time.
‘Recently my husband was chatting in the Social Security Department and was asked: “Do you realise if anything should happen to you, your wife might not be able to continue to live in Jersey?”
‘We own our property jointly but this is not enough.
‘I was told I had to provide letters from three friends who could say that they had known me and seen me on a very regular basis, ie once a month for 30 years! I defy many people to be able to achieve this. However, I did, and am now a permanent cardholder.
‘I mentioned this matter to many friends. The majority were unaware of this situation and quite a few have now dashed into Social Security to confirm their position.’
3.
‘Recently two friends of mine have asked me to write letters to the Population Office saying how long I have known them to be here. What a joke, as we are all in our 60s. I have brought up children here and now have grandchildren. Do they think we leave our kids to fend for themselves?
‘We all paid and pay our tax, have all paid social security and now draw our pensions. It’s quite an insult, and when I said this to the person who phoned for confirmation of a letter, I was told in no uncertain terms “It’s the law”.
‘What on earth is the Island coming to? Anyone could make up anything. Surely it would be better for departments to speak to each other.
‘I have mentioned this to many friends, who are totally unaware that eventually they may all have to go through the same process.
‘Thank you for your article highlighting this strange system.’
The response: An official statement from Mrs Worboys:
‘Interestingly these would all appear to relate to long-standing Island residents. The introduction of the ’30-year rule’, which now enables non-Jersey-born people who arrived in Jersey as adults to gain ‘Permanent Entitled’ status after 30 years’ continuous residence, is new and was felt to be an important recognition of long-standing residents who were not born here. Previously, the ability to gain permanent status for such persons did not exist.
‘Social Security computer records go back to 1991; therefore it is not possible to readily access data, including an individual’s employer contribution history, prior to this time. As an alternative, and depending on the circumstances, the Population Office can call landlords and employers to confirm residence and review archived microfiche records, or the applicant can provide personal references which we will then verify.
‘In effect, we find that we have introduced a new rule to support people, but at the same time it is accepted that it is often not easy for people to confirm this length of residence. The department’s task then is to make it as easy as possible for the customer to prove their residence.
‘It is often the case that individuals want a registration card reflecting ”Permanent Entitled” status based on 30 years’ continuous residence, even when they do not require a card, as they are not changing employment, moving home or indeed planning to leave the Island.
‘Should they be changing employment or moving home, the department actually only needs to establish the last ten years’ continuous residence in order to grant them Entitled status, but there is a desire on the part of the customer to gain permanency where a period of residence in excess of 30 years has been completed. The department can appreciate and understand why customers would want this, and we will support them in any way we can to achieve this end.
‘Ultimately it does mean that once their Permanent Entitled status has been confirmed, they will never have to go through the process again, which is a much improved position than under the former Housing (Jersey) Law 1949.’
THE world has been shocked by the heartbreaking images of children’s bodies washing up on the shores of Europe.
For years, the news media have published photos of Syrian refugees, images of the dead, wounded and displaced. But few of them seem to have made much of an impression – until the day when people around the world saw photos of a three-year-old boy named Aylan Kurdi, whose lifeless body had washed up on a Turkish beach.
The heartbreaking images were on the front pages of the majority of newspapers, which led to many children seeing the pictures and questioning their parents and teachers.
Sometimes children don’t have ways of understanding what they see, and can be particularly vulnerable to feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness.
Unicef have now shared some advice for parents and teachers on how to speak about the current refugee crisis with your children.
According to Unicef, parents and teachers should ask children how they are feeling and listen to what they already know about the situation, rather than making assumptions about their levels of understanding and offering them more information than they can handle.
Unicef advocates that parents and teachers avoid saturating children with violent imagery, limiting media consumption, and steering children towards positive responses to crisis around the world.
Here they share the following tips:
1. Ask open questions and listen
Start by asking permission from your child or children to talk about the issue. Follow their lead and if they don’t want to discuss it, don’t push the moment. Just make sure they understand that they can talk to you, their teacher and other trusted adults whenever they like.
Encourage your children to talk freely in a safe environment. Drawing, stories and other activities may help to open up a discussion.
Don’t minimise or avoid their concerns. Be sure to acknowledge their feelings and assure them it’s natural to feel sad or scared about these things.
2. Be honest and explain the truth in a child-friendly way
Children have a right to truthful information about what’s going on in the world but adults also have a responsibility to keep them safe from distress. Use age-appropriate language, watch their reactions and be sensitive to their level of anxiety.
If you can’t answer their questions, use it as an opportunity to explore the answers together.
3. Show them the ways that people have tried to help
It’s important for children to know about the acts of bravery, generosity and kindness from ordinary people trying to help children and their families.
Share stories of aid workers, community leaders and humanitarians who keep children safe and help them continue their education.
4. Help them take positive action
It’s hugely empowering for children to contribute to the relief effort. Get together and brainstorm ideas about how you, your children and their friends can raise money to help refugee families.
Suggest a Bring a Pound day at school, a cake stall, concert, fun run or any other creative idea that springs to mind. Check out our fundraising ideas and toolkit for inspiration.
By Elaine Byrne
IT was only a matter of time before our inquisitive five-year-old daughter started to ask about the refugee crisis.
Living with two journalists as parents it is difficult to shelter our children completely from the news.
So how do you explain the refugee crisis to a young child – or do you shield them from the truth? Unicef have today given some excellent advice for parents and teachers on what you should and shouldn’t say. And in the Telegraph newspaper, journalist Sally Peck explained that she told her four-year-old daughter about the Syrian crisis through a book. The book, called Azzi In Between, written and illustrated by Sarah Garland, tells the story of a young girl and her parents who flee their war-torn (and nameless) country to seek asylum in a safer (also nameless) new country, where they don’t speak the language and where her parents, a doctor and a seamstress, cannot work initially. She said that they had to leave Azzi’s grandmother behind as they fled by boat.
Azzi and her parents are in danger. They have to leave their home and escape to another country on a frightening journey by car and boat. In the new country they must learn to speak a new language and find a new home, and Azzi must start a new school. Endorsed by Amnesty International, the book is aimed at children aged four and up. The book was inspired by Garland’s sister-in-law’s work with refugee children in schools in Oxford. But in a happy-ever-after ending, the family is reunited with Azzi’s grandmother, and Azzi makes friends in her new school by teaching them how to grow beans.
No sooner had I thought I had done a pretty good job of explaining enough about the crisis in Syria to satisfy the mind of our daughter without going into excessive or unnecessarily lurid details, then our three-year-old son caught a glimpse of the front page of Saturday’s JEP. ‘What’s that plane on fire for?’ he asked, pointing to the burning British Airways aircraft at Las Vegas Airport.
And what was the best answer I could come up with on the spot?
