VULNERABLE teenagers need improved support from Children’s Social Care Services, Jersey’s Care Commission has said.
An inspection by the watchdog found that while the service had made progress since previous assessments and was generally well-managed, there were gaps in the protection of teenagers who were at risk of exploitation or who frequently went missing.
In its recent report, the commission called for a more robust and co-ordinated system to address these issues.
“This should include robust multi-agency identification of risks and a whole system response to meeting their needs and reduce the likelihood of harm,” the commission said.
The inspection also revealed an “inconsistent response” to children who go missing with a lack of joined-up working between different agencies.
The report added: “A lack of consensus within and between individual agencies regarding responsibility and accountability results in separate disjointed priorities and approaches. This hampers an effective response for this group of children.”
The child-exploitation strategy was also criticised for its limited scope, with the commission saying it failed to address various forms of exploitation and risks outside the home.
“The need to assess and communicate risks concerning sexual, criminal, digital, and community-based exploitation of children, and those who go missing from care or home, are not well understood or managed.
“This limits the small window of opportunity to put in place effective plans to reduce risk and mitigate harm.”
To address these concerns, the commission recommended a “collective approach” involving all partner agencies to establish “cohesive oversight” of vulnerable children’s circumstances.
This approach, the commission argued, is crucial to ensure these young people can live safely and have the opportunity for “fulfilling and purposeful lives into adulthood”.
In response, Children’s Social Care Services have committed to creating an action plan.
This plan includes daily multi-agency missing meetings, improved data collection and increased out-of-hours support.
The report was released amid growing concerns about young people, drug use and exploitation.
In May, the Probation Service warned about children experimenting with drugs and falling into debt, potentially leading to exploitation by criminals.
This warning came just weeks after the Youth Court heard a case where a teenage boy who used cannabis for his ADHD was “groomed” by young adults into selling drugs to pay for his habit.
The States of Jersey Police Annual Report 2022 revealed that a small number of children were responsible for a disproportionate number of missing person reports.
It showed that there were 720 missing children reports in 2022, relating to 82 children in total. Almost half of those, 328 (45% of the total) related to just six individuals.
The police said: “When children go missing, particularly on a regular basis, they are potentially vulnerable to criminal or sexual exploitation.”
