THE Island’s secure accommodation unit for young people has yet to reach the standards recommended by a regulatory body, despite an ongoing improvement plan, according to an updated report.
The Jersey Care Commission has shared the results of a follow-up inspection to the Greenfields unit in St Saviour, monitoring progress made in response to an improvement notice issued in March.
The updated report states that action in six of eight areas highlighted in the commission’s improvement notice had not been fully taken by the Education Department, the government body responsible for Greenfields.
Recruitment and staffing levels, the report said, remained a concern for the commission.
The report also noted some progress in recruitment, and an improved atmosphere of engagement and motivation among employees, but said that the staff team remained incomplete, a situation that ‘may cause additional stress to the system if more young people were admitted’.
Staffing arrangements, including rotas and policies, were more robust, the report found, but progress was described as being ‘at the early stages of change and remains an area for improvement’.
Other areas in which the commission urged continued focus included the replacement of damaged fixtures and fittings, staff training covering the use of restraint techniques and the recruitment of a permanent manager. The commission welcomed two complete areas of improvement, including stopping the use of unregistered rooms and giving notice to a sports club that it must stop using facilities at the site so that they were available for residents at all times.
In a statement issued through the government press office, Susan Devlin, group director for Children’s Services, said she welcomed the report and the progress that had been outlined.
‘Improvement work has taken place with partners and as the months progress we hope to see real fruit from this approach – we are determined and committed to getting this right in order that the children and young people we serve get a quality service,’ she said.
