Be ‘eyes and ears’ for our children

Be ‘eyes and ears’ for our children

From Monday, 15,000 children who would normally be at school will be at home – for at least a month until the end of the Easter holidays – putting a huge strain on families.

A Children and Families Hub is to open to offer advice and support to parents and children during a crisis not seen in the Island since the Occupation. A special parenting helpline is also going to be launched and resources for families uploaded to the government website gov.je.

The hub, which was due to be introduced later this year but has been accelerated given the gravity of the global situation, is designed to be a one-stop shop for families and children to access for support. It can be contacted on 519000.

Children’s Minister Sam Mézec urged parents and carers not to be ashamed of asking for help. He said: ‘Children’s Services are determined to be proactive and not reactive so where people are in the early stages of having concerns we want them to come to speak to us.

‘It’s not about a family doing something wrong.

‘It could be just words of advice or more active support but, please, come speak to us.’

Mark Rogers, director general of Children, Young People, Education & Skills, said they had identified up to 2,000 children classed as vulnerable or children of key workers who they think will need additional support over the coming weeks.

Mr Rogers said work is ongoing about keeping some children with special requirements in schools or offering extra support in the home. He added that information on child-care options for essential workers, such as nurses or doctors, will be announced soon.

Children’s Commissioner Deborah McMillan has raised concerns about the safeguarding of children and how they might become vulnerable if their parents turn to unofficial child carers because of finances or no available family.

Senator Mézec urged parents not to be tempted to leave their children home alone. The NSPCC say children under 12 should not be alone.

Mark Owers, director of children’s safeguarding and care, said there were arrangements in place to stay in contact with the States police and ensure children were safe and not causing trouble during the disruption.

All youth clubs closed as of last night. Education Minister Tracey Vallois said the decision had not been taken lightly.

The Yes Project at Colomberie will remain open as a drop-in service. Youth workers plan to increase their patrols in town and St Brelade and use social media to engage with young people.

Senator Mézec said safeguarding is ‘everyone’s responsibility’ and children will be scared for a variety of reasons.

He said: ‘There will be parents anxious about finances, shortages of food and their jobs. Forced isolation will be tough to endure at times and these factors will create family tensions and be overwhelming and some children will be more vulnerable during this period and it’s imperative we do all we can together to make sure they are safe from harm and abuse. We need to protect our children in the Island and need your help. We are relying on the public to be our eyes and ears in the community.

‘So to the postmen dropping off post in the morning, be our eyes and ears. To the kind neighbour dropping off shopping be our eyes and ears. We need you, the general public, to be our eyes and ears.’

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