The memorial could take the form of a ‘garden, a playground, a sculpture, a fountain or something interactive’, according to Children’s Minister Sam Mézec.
Some survivors and other members of the public have expressed outrage at the plan and have called for the money to spent on other projects to help children today, while others have said a memorial would just be a reminder of the abuse suffered.
A petition which gathers more than 1,000 signatures requires a ministerial response.
The plans for the memorial were set in motion following the publication of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry report. A citizen’s panel of abuse survivors then made recommendations for a permanent memorial to those who suffered abuse in the Island’s care homes.
Senator Mézec said that the government ‘understand and appreciate Islanders’ concerns’.
He added: ‘The funding allocated for the memorial has not been diverted from frontline services or either of the redress schemes but secured from the £23 million allocated for the care inquiry process. This represents a one-off pot of money which is not available for recurring costs such as staff or services for children. Reversing the decision to commission the memorial would not automatically release £200,000 for other children’s projects.’
The public are being asked to submit their ideas for designs, and proposals should be submitted by the end of April. More information is available on the government website, gov.je.
A citizen’s panel found that any final design must include an apology, be thought-provoking, honour victims, ensure what happened is not forgotten or repeated and is easily accessible to the public and highly visible.
The minister continued: ‘It is important that the community is involved in selecting the final design. We will therefore be holding a public exhibition of shortlisted designs in June, to allow Islanders to share their feedback.
‘This will ensure everyone’s views are taken into consideration when making the final decision. We have not defined what form the memorial should take, so applicants can creatively respond to the design brief. It might be a garden, a playground, a sculpture, a fountain or something interactive.’
As part of the Government Plan for 2020 to 2023, Senator Mézec said it was investing £42.4 million to deliver its strategic priority of ‘putting children first’, which includes £6.4 million to embed the changes recommended by the inquiry.
He added that in February, the government launched Love Never Leaves – a £1.67 million package of support for children in care and care leavers.
The final design for the care memorial is due to be announced in July.
