YOUNG Islanders’ rights have improved dramatically over the past four years, but political will – which was often missing during the last term of office – is still required to drive change, the children’s commissioner said as she announced her resignation.
Deborah McMillan yesterday resigned for personal reasons with ‘tremendous sadness’ from what she described as the ‘best job I have had’.
She was appointed in the wake of the 2017 Independent Jersey Care Inquiry report, which uncovered a catalogue of failings in the protection of children in the Island over many decades.
Mrs McMillan said: ‘I love this job. To make the decision to give it up has been incredibly tough but it is a decision I have had to make for the good of my family.
‘We teach children that they have rights and the right to a family life is very special. We live by the values we teach in this office and sometimes we have to put that first.’
She added that she was confident that she could ‘walk away and know that it is not going to fall apart’ due to the significant amount of policy and legislative changes to support the rights of young people in the Island that had been enacted since she took office at the start of 2018.
‘We have got a number of policies that have been written putting children’s rights centre stage. I know I can leave and another commissioner can come in and continue that journey,’ she said.
‘We have put in place the infrastructure that will allow this to grow.
‘We are still relying on political will to drive that change forward because for some children growing up in the Island it is still not good enough. Some are going hungry, some children are not safe and we know some are growing up in care, so there is still so much more to do. As probably seen in my reports to Scrutiny over the last term of government that wasn’t always there and that was a real sense of frustration.’
Mrs McMillan often criticised the previous government for a lack of engagement – including in December last year when she said that the ‘strong links’ between her office and ministers had been ‘lost some time ago’.
However, she said that she had received a commitment from both new Chief Minister Kristina Moore and government chief executive Suzanne Wylie that ‘things will be different’.
She said that maintaining positive working relationships with politicians and civil servants while remaining detached enough to criticise and challenge where necessary would be a ‘delicate balance’ for the next children’s commissioner.
Discussing her term, Mrs McMillan said: ‘One of the things we have done to drive change is we have taught children about their rights and their responsibilities. They know that they have got rights and that is important.
‘A really good example of why that is important is a young person came to me and asked for help. They had seen me in their school and they had learnt about their rights and felt confident enough to come to me.
‘Their family was about to be homeless. They had done everything to sort the issue out but were getting nowhere. I was able to secure a meeting with the Chief Minister and sort that out and those youngsters are now thriving and doing well. We have had over 900 children and families come to us that we have helped. In amongst the laws and policies, we have made a considerable difference to the lives of many young people in Jersey. It makes it special.’
A States Assembly notice from Deputy Moore announcing Mrs McMillan’s resignation said that it had been ‘received with regret, although with full understanding’.
Deputy Moore said: ‘I would like to pay tribute to the leading role Deborah has played in Island life as a champion for the rights of children and young people in Jersey. She has brought passion and diligence to the role through her great clarity of purpose, and I wish her the very best for her future endeavours.’
Scrutiny Liaison Committee president Deputy Sam Mézec added: ‘The children’s commissioner has made a lasting impact on the Island. Deborah’s support for landmark legislation, such as the smacking ban, has shown how important the children’s commissioner’s office has become in making a real difference to children in the Island.’
A recruitment process for a permanent replacement will begin in the autumn. Andrea Le Saint, who works within the commissioner’s office and is a qualified social worker, has been appointed acting commissioner.
