Jersey’s care system is facing a “critical shortage” of homes, foster carers and staff, according to a new government report which warns the situation poses a top-level risk to children’s welfare.
The government’s latest Corporate Parenting Board Annual Report lays bare a system battling deep-rooted challenges, warning that instability in care provision “can lead to poor long-term outcomes and significant societal costs”.
The report classifies the shortage of residential placements and carers as a “Tier 1 risk” – the highest level on the government’s corporate risk register.
The document highlighted the vulnerability of children in care, stating that evidence shows they “have poorer health and educational outcomes, are more likely to live in insecure employment and housing, whilst also more likely to be in contact with the justice system”.
Recruitment of residential childcare staff remains “challenging”, but campaigns targeting unqualified staff for training and negotiations for block agency contracts are “showing promise”, according to the report.
Ministers have signed off on a long-term plan to reshape Jersey’s residential care system, with a five-year programme approved in July 2025 to expand and modernise provision.
An initial £7.5m has allowed improvement work to begin, with a further £12.6 million allocated between 2026 and 2029 to improve residential care provision.
One new facility, Field View, opened in early 2025, while additional homes – Richelieu, Camden and Hollies – were scheduled to be delivered by the end of last year.
The annual report showed that, by the end of 2025, 96% of care leavers were living in what is deemed suitable accommodation, and more than half were living independently – an improvement on the previous year.
Education outcomes have also improved, with 62.3% of care leavers now in education, employment or training, up from 52.3%.
Health services have seen progress, with 77% of children in care receiving timely health assessments by April 2025, up from 59% the previous year.
However, the document concludes that further work is essential, stressing that “there remains much work to do” to improve outcomes for children in care and those leaving the system.
Children’s Minister Richard Vibert said: “Corporate parenting is much more than a legal duty.
“It is a shared promise that we will treat every child in our care with the same care, attention and ambition that we would want for our own children.”