Select a region
The Government has refused to confirm if the Jersey Recovery College sought additional financial support ahead of its shock closure last week.
The charity's Board of Directors announced on Monday 19 August that JRC had been forced to close "with immediate effect" due to an increased demand on services, growing costs, and a reduction in income and donations.
On Tuesday 20 August, Express asked the Government to confirm if JRC sought financial support prior to its closure – and to share the correspondence if so.
The Government replied a week later, stating that no further comment on JRC would be made at this time.
Pictured: The Jersey Recovery College received a total of £754,843 from Government in last five years.
However, some information on the Government funding received by JRC has already been made public.
The response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Law recently revealed that JRC received a total of £754,843 from Government in last five years.
The amount varied significantly each year, ranging from £184,887 in 2019 to just £22,926 in 2021.
The total amount of funding given to JRC by the Government in 2024 was £99,336.
Pictured: Jersey Recovery College received a "direct award" from the Government on 1 January each year from 2021 to 2023.
Express asked the Government to clarify if the almost £755k of funding given to the charity since 2019 was all from the "direct award" given to JRC each year by the Health Department, or if any of it was additional payments for specific projects.
The Government also declined to respond to this query.
After the charity's closure, Health Minister Tom Binet told Express that he had been in discussion with JRC “on and off” since he came to office in February, and that he was “aware of their struggles”.
He said that JRC's decision to close was "very unfortunate" but said he was confident that the island's Mental Health Services could pick up the demand previously covered by the charity.
Pictured: Health Minister Tom Binet said it was "very unfortunate" that Jersey Recovery College had closed.
Express asked the Government to clarify what specific steps would be taken by Mental Health Services to prepare for a possible influx of islanders seeking help.
In response, the Government sent a statement from Deputy Binet which said: “I am sorry to hear of this closure. Health and Community Services have worked closely with Jersey Recovery College to provide additional support in recent months.
“We are now considering how the services offered by the Recovery College on behalf on HCS can be provided in an alternative way as soon as possible.”
No further details were given about how the Government was preparing to accommodate islanders who were previously seeking help from JRC.
The charity's mission was to "champion mental health through education", and JRC had helped more than 3,000 islanders since its inception in 2017 through free courses and workplace programmes.
If you are experiencing mental health difficulties or feel impacted by this news, you can find support here:
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.