‘Deeply worrying’ UK report raises concerns for Jersey children in care

CALLS have been made for greater public scrutiny of Jersey children placed in the UK after a parliamentary report warned that England’s social-care system was failing to protect young people’s rights.

Freeda chief executive Kate Wright said the findings had “profound implications for Jersey”, where almost one-third of looked-after children were living off-Island at the start of June.

She highlighted findings from Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, which concluded that England’s children’s social-care system was too often failing the children it was intended to support.

Ms Wright said the report described the placement market as “fundamentally broken” and raised concerns about children being sent far from their families, siblings and communities.

It also identified shortages of suitable regulated accommodation, disruption to education, healthcare and relationships, ineffective complaints and advocacy systems, and a “devastating ‘care cliff’” as young people entered adulthood.

It comes after new figures showed that 17 of Jersey’s 57 looked-after children were accommodated outside the Island on 1 June.

Ms Wright acknowledged that some children needed specialist care which could not currently be provided locally.

However, she said: “This report removes any assumption that sending a child to the UK automatically gives them access to a stronger or safer system.

“Parliament itself has warned that the placement market Jersey relies upon is in crisis.”

She called for “transparent, independent assurance” about why children were sent away, whether placements met their needs and how their relationships with family members were being protected.

Ms Wright also said more information should be provided about how frequently children were visited, whether their views were being heard and what long-term plans were in place for them, including support after the age of 18.

“I am sure this will be happening behind the scenes, but I think – given these deeply worrying findings – some more publicly available reporting would be deeply reassuring,” she added.

The number of Jersey children placed in UK facilities peaked at 19 between January and April this year, having risen from 12 in June 2025 to 18 by October.