It is likely that a number of high-ranking employees could lose their jobs following chief executive Charlie Parker’s announcement of the next stage of his overhaul of the public sector and his ‘One Government’ vision for the States.
The next phase of the programme includes a recruitment process taking place for new ‘director-generals’ who will replace the current chief officers as heads of drastically restructured States departments.
Last month Mr Parker said that he intended to cut as many as 22 senior roles in the States to save £1 million a year and reduce the number of departments from ten to seven.
He added that there would be ‘casualties’ due to his reforms and some employees would need to ‘leave the business’.
A statement released by the Chief Minister’s Department this week says that following a 45-day consultation, the chief executive has now begun the process of ‘recruiting to the most senior leadership roles in the reformed organisation’.
‘Over the next few weeks, a number of internal candidates will be interviewed for director-general roles for the new departments and several new roles will also be advertised externally,’ it says.
‘These posts will be advertised both in Jersey and internationally, to attract the best possible candidates.’
A government spokesman confirmed that the existing jobs would cease to exist but was unable to say at this stage whether any senior executives would be left without a position in the new States structure or if there would be any redundancies.
Mr Parker also announced the launch of new projects, funded by 2017 States under-spends, which have the aim of improving what he regards to be ‘key areas’ of States administration. Some of the projects will require short-term or additional staff to employed.
The chief executive announced that the first two projects will be:
*Spending £525,000 on improving Children’s Services. This includes the appointment of three interim operational managers to ‘speed up the pace of change’ for introducing greater protection for children and young people in the Island. Work will involve improving front-line services and social worker practices, as well introducing a new integrated Children’s Service for the most vulnerable. A total of £60,000 is due to be spent on an upcoming Ofsted report on Children’s Services and implementing the remaining recommendations of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.
*Modernisation of financial management, which will involve a review of what are regarded to be ‘cumbersome, outdated practices and structures’. The review will ‘echo’ recommendations made in a number of reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General, who reviews the States’ internal financial controls. More than £850,000 of funding has been allocated towards the project, which will be spent in part on establishing a small team, which will be supported by internal staff and outside finance experts, to implement its first phase.
Other projects which Mr Parker hopes to implement will aim to strengthen senior leadership in the States, drive organisational change, manage the restructuring programme and build closer partnerships with the parishes.
