Funding for plans to improve the facility that houses some of the island’s most vulnerable children is yet to be secured, it has emerged.
Children’s Minister Richard Vibert’s proposal to transform Greenfields into a children’s home with step-down unit, emergency bed, and remand bed was revealed earlier this year.
Under the Minister’s plans, the site would also benefit from a multi-disciplinary team, including staff from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), to provide additional support.
But in a scrutiny hearing last week, Constable Vibert explained that the pace and extent of the redevelopment will depend on if his funding bid is approved as part of the Government Plan at the end of this year.
“We have to wait to see if that’s voted on,” he explained.
“We have to see if the Government is willing to back the plan for children and improve their chances of going on to achieve more positive outcomes if they’ve been into the criminal justice system.
“So it’s very much in the Government hands. If they support it, then we will go forward.”
The Minister explained that Greenfields, originally built for eight residents, has at times operated with just four due to capacity and safety concerns.
“We’re looking at the operation of Greenfield and how that can be improved,” he said.
“There are some improvements that have taken place recently as part of that – and those will continue again, subject to receiving the funding.”
Constable Vibert described youth custody as a “last resort” but said it is “inevitable that there will be circumstances where a young person has to be taken into custody”.
“Therefore we need a safe a safe place for them,” he explained.
“We intend, provided we get Government funding, to redevelop Greenfields and to make it a better establishment.”
The Children’s Minister clarified: “There are no plans to close Greenfields, but there are plans to make it a better establishment.”
Police chief Robin Smith emphasised the “tiny” number of young people that “regrettably” require custody.
“Their offending history is very significant, otherwise they wouldn’t be there, and their vulnerability is significant too,” he added.
Mr Smith said that he had a “very productive” meeting recently with the Chief Officer of Justice and Home Affairs.
“There is a genuine desire to continue to improve the facilities of Greenfields,” he said.
“There are challenges around budget, of course, but the numbers [of children in custody] are thankfully very small.”
It also emerged during the scrutiny hearing that a parallel plan to introduce compulsory post-custodial supervision for young offenders has been stalled due to a lack of law drafting capacity.
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Plans to transform the secure facility that houses some of the island’s most vulnerable children into a “specialist campus” are finally moving forward – more than half-a-decade after independent inspectors said the “prison-like” building should be demolished. Responding to a written question from former Education Minister Inna Gardiner, Children’s Minister Richard Vibert outlined a proposal…