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The outgoing head of children’s services and safeguarding says his departure is not linked to a critical report about Greenfields – but because he is setting up a children’s charity.
Mark Owers’ resignation from the post of Director of Children’s Safeguarding and Care was announced by Government in a short, unprompted statement on Monday afternoon.
It came days after an unscheduled inspection of Greenfields secure children's home - which falls under Mr Owers' remit - uncovered seven apparent regulatory breaches and led the facility to be slapped with its second urgent improvement notice in less than six months.
The home looks after children on remand or serving Youth Court sentences, but, since the pandemic, has sometimes provided care to young individuals with mental health needs.
A report by the Jersey Care Commission raised the alarm over staffing levels, staff training, and the condition of the building and facilities available to the vulnerable children being looked after there.
The Government did not respond to requests by Express for details of his resignation, including the date of his resignation and whether he would receive any payment in relation to the departure, and continuity arrangements within the Children's Service.
Mr Owers this morning took to Twitter to quell speculation. He said that he was departing "of my own volition" and did so "with a heavy heart... after very careful thought".
This afternoon, he issued a further statement via the Government's Press Office, confirming that his decision to leave "is not connected to the recent report into the Greenfield [sic] unit."
"People will know that I am committed to improving services for children and young people on the island," he commented.
"Earlier this year, I had decided that at some point I wanted to move out of the Government to set up a new children's charity.
"I have decided that now is the time for me to do this and this is entirely my own timing and choice."
While no specific details of how the Greenfields report recommendations will be acted on have been provided, Children's Minister Deputy Scott Wickenden said that his Department was "focused on the continual improvement" of all its services.
Mr Owers' resignation marks the second high-level resignation in less than six months.
Mark Rogers, Director General of Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES), which includes Children’s Services, stepped down at the end of last year. His departure followed a year of working between Jersey and the UK.
Health’s Managing Director, Rob Sainsbury, was then appointed to fill the role on an interim basis. A permanent replacement is yet to be announced.
In the wake of Mr Owers' resignation, a new management structure is still yet to be agreed. Deputy Wickenden said that details of management changes would be made public "at the appropriate time."
Mr Owers is working with a three-month notice period.
In a message to colleagues on Monday, he pledged to work "tirelessly" in that time to "ensure robust transition arrangements are in place".
Deputy Wickenden thanked Mr Owers for his "dedicated service", while Director General of Children, Young People, Eduction and Skills (CYPES), Rob Sainsbury, thanked Mr Owers for his "commitment and dedication".
Mr Sainsbury said Children's Services had made "significant improvements" under Mr Owers' leadership.
The turbulence at senior levels comes at a challenging time for the department.
A social worker who grew up in Jersey, Mark Owers returned to the island in 2019, tasked with taking the reins and bringing calm to Children’s Services at a time of significant turbulence in the wake of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, which was critical of the operation of Greenfields.
However, despite a PR award-winning recruitment campaign entitled 'Let's Be Honest' being launched that year, social worker recruitment and retention struggles continued to plague the service, with the Government spending millions on agency workers to plug gaps.
In December, one month after a second campaign was launched, Express reported that 17 ‘frontline’ workers for children had left the service in 2021 alone, a record amount of staff exits for the past five years.
Staff turnover for 2021 was 43%, with the average length of service of each of the departing employees just 2.8 years, compared to 10.3 years in 2019.
Pictured: A breakdown of social worker departures over the past five years.
Mr Owers was also part of a team responsible for the development of a therapeutic facility for children with more serious care needs.
No update on its progress has been provided in the five months since. Express put a number of queries to Government about it last year, and has followed up this week, but is still yet to receive a response.
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Children's care boss resigns days after critical report
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