A PLAQUE apologising to survivors of care abuse is set to be quiety installed on a bench – after plans to display it in the Royal Square received subtanstial public backlash.
The plaque was slated for the south-facing wall of Piquet House and was designed as a public apology from the government on behalf of the States of Jersey to those affected by the Jersey Independent Care Inquiry.
Plans were approved in May last year and the notice was due to read: “To the children abused while in the care of the States of Jersey: We failed you. We apologise for all you endured. We are truly sorry. From the Government of Jersey 2025.”
But Assistant Chief Minister Malcolm Ferey told scrutineers this week that the wording had been “tweaked” following consultation.
The government will be writing to survivors within the next few days to inform them, he added.
Deputy Ferey said the plaque will now be installed on a bench at the “place to remember” project at La Collette Gardens in a “quiet area”.
He added that it will be a “low level” affair, with no public ceremony or “big razzmatazz” around it.
Plans for a ‘place to remember’ at La Collette Gardens for those who were failed by the Island’s care system included a new path, pergolas and a fountain, but there has been confusion around the funding for the project.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan said in March last year that ministers were looking at alternative funding methods for the project after a request for funding in the 2023 Government Plan was turned down.
When asked about the timeline for completing outstanding Care Inquiry workstreams, Deputy Ferey said this plaque work is “the main one” still outstanding.
Allegations about the historic abuse of children in care in Jersey led to a police investigation launched in 2006.
Almost 200 people came forward, reporting more than 550 offences dating back to the 1960s – more than half of them linked to the former Haut de la Garenne children’s home.
A 2017 report into Jersey’s care system revealed decades of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment across several institutions.
Operation Rectangle – the police investigation into these allegations – uncovered widespread physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
An independent inquiry held in 2014 confirmed that abuse had taken place and highlighted deep failings in how the system had protected children.
In 2010, then-Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur gave an “unreserved apology” to survivors.
