The piece of work by the Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel will look at the means of redress available to members of the public and also identify the policies which underpin the processes and hold officials and staff to account.
In its previous report which examined the response to recommendations five to eight of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, the panel received several submissions which highlighted continuing concerns about complaints processes, the redress available and the means by which officials are held to account.
Deputy Rob Ward, who sits on the panel, said: ‘As a panel we have received a number of submissions which have highlighted concerns about how complaints are managed, ultimately resolved (or not) and what action is taken as a result.
‘This doesn’t just apply to government but all areas of public administration. This review is seeking to identify what we have in place in the Island across the four branches of public administration and help make constructive recommendations about how best to improve these systems where necessary and increase public confidence in them.
‘It is important to reiterate that this review is not intended to resolve any ongoing personal cases or grievances, however, we are interested to hear the views of those with experience of these systems and processes.’
The review will focus on identifying and examining the current complaints procedures across the four branches of public administration to ensure they are open, transparent and accessible to the general public.
The panel is interested to hear views from anyone with experience of the systems that are currently in place. Submissions need to be made by Friday 21 August by emailing scrutiny@gov.je or a.harris5@gov.je.
