“DEVASTATING” evidence that some families are reconsidering pregnancies due to financial pressure has been presented to a political panel by a frontline family support charity.
Brighter Futures manager Lauren Maggs last week told the Family Friendly Post-Implementation Sub-Panel that “lots of families with one child end up in a situation where they have to think about whether to continue with their second pregnancy because of the financial situation they’re in”.
She explained: “We have more conversations with our families about the fact that they’ve got one child, but they wouldn’t be able to have two or three.
“These are conversations we have quite regularly with families about whether to carry on with pregnancies and things like that.
“That’s something that we’ve seen a lot more of now than we ever have done before just because of the cost.
“It’s almost like a talking point now, which I don’t feel like we saw as much of before.”
It comes after Jersey last year recorded its highest number of abortions in more than two decades.
The recently published Abortions Report also revealed that the highest abortion rate was among Islanders aged 25 to 29 at 25.7 per 1,000.
Sub-panel chair Deputy Louise Doublet described some of the evidence presented by the charity yesterday as “devastating”.
“I can only apologise to the people that you support that there are situations like that occurring,” she said.
The Family Friendly Post-Implementation Sub-Panel was set up to assess how changes to the Employment Law made in 2018 and 2020 have been implemented, and what the impact has been on local families.
The States Assembly approved a number of amendments to the Employment Law in 2018 including increasing the length of paid parental leave for both parents, and introducing paid absences for pregnant or breastfeeding islanders who are unable to work on health and safety grounds.
Last year, a survey was carried out by the Social Security Minister to review how these amendments had been received by employers and employees.
Following the results, the Minister concluded that a number of actions were needed including increasing awareness of the changes, and to further look at the rules regarding parental allowance.
In yesterday’s hearing, representatives from Brighter Futures called for better communication around available benefits, longer parental leave, and for entitlement to be extended to grandparents or other carers.
Brighter Futures deputy manager Margaret Bailey said that paid parental leave should be longer than six weeks.
“It’s so important,” she explained.
“It is the time when the little one’s brain is developing, and they need the care of mum or dad or both.
“I feel that to be a family friendly-island, it would be better if paid parental leave was longer.
“I think families should be allowed to be families.”
Mrs Bailey explained that Brighter Futures sees many parents “tag-teaming”, where one parent works during the day and one works during the night to avoid having to pay for childcare.
“I’ve asked clients, ‘when do you see your husband?’. It just makes me feel so sad,” she said.
“It’s a lovely Island, but I think it’s really difficult here for families.”
