An existing joint facility, provided as a pilot project following recommendations made by the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, will shortly be relocated from Dewberry House on Route du Fort to provide separate facilities for adult- and child-abuse victims.
Superintendent Alison Fossey of the States police described the existing building as ‘not fit for purpose’ and welcomed the impending move to facilities which would have a separate area designed for children.
‘We knew that if we made a success of the project, we would need a new building to enable us to offer bespoke services for children. Sometimes they are having to repeat their story over and over again to different professionals and they get pushed from pillar to post to access the services they need.
‘The concept is to bring them under one roof in what is called a child-house model. Basically, the professionals come to the child who will receive any medical help they need, investigation and any therapeutic support for them and their families,’ she explained.
Dewberry House is independent of direct police control, which allows victims of sexual crime to seek help themselves or to be referred by the police.
‘If they choose to refer themselves, then police have no involvement but it ensures that victims receive the medical help and the counselling they need. If they choose to involve the police then, of course, they will also have support through the investigation. It’s where you would go in a crisis for help,’ Supt Fossey said.
Supt Fossey was confirmed earlier this month as the Island’s first female superintendent. Although currently responsible for uniformed policing, she has been closely involved in child and adult protection and was commended by the Care Inquiry for her work investigating the Island’s historical abuse cases.
She described it as ‘a very challenging inquiry and a very challenging period’, adding that times were different at the point the inquiry was unfolding.
The subject of this week’s Saturday interview, Supt Fossey declined to be drawn into the politics of an episode which saw the controversial removal of former police chief Graham Power.
‘All I can say is that I was very clear that this was about child abuse, about physical and sexual abuse, and that’s what I was leading a team investigating, and that’s what we delivered. I always hoped – and it did come out in the Care Inquiry – that the public would believe and know that we did a decent investigation. What was going on above us didn’t impact on the investigations we did and we prosecuted as many cases as we could. It was just of its time,’ she said.
An extended interview with Supt Fossey is on pages 10 and 11 of Saturday’s [16 January] JEP.
