A group of 13 family-focused organisations have called on States Members to act on the growing issue of family and child poverty in Jersey. Here’s what they had to say…

Dear States Members, Many families in Jersey are at breaking point. This is not rhetoric. It is the lived reality for a growing number of people across our Island.

Evidence presented through a cross-sector roundtable held in May 2026, facilitated by Mentorhood and bringing together charities, educators, businesses, community organisations and practitioners, shows a clear and deeply concerning picture:

  • Around one in four children in Jersey is living in relative low income
  • Over a third of households are now struggling financially
  • Housing costs are unaffordable for many families, with around a third struggling to meet them
  • Childcare can cost up to £2,000 per month per child, meaning work does not always provide financial stability
  • Real incomes have stagnated while the cost of living has risen sharply, eroding living standards over time

Behind these statistics are families making impossible choices every day, cutting back on food, heating and essential needs; working multiple jobs; experiencing rising stress, exhaustion and deteriorating mental health.

This is no longer simply a question of “pressure”. For many families, it is about survival.

Importantly, this crisis is no longer confined to those traditionally considered low income. A growing number of working and middle-income families are falling between the cracks: above eligibility thresholds for support, but below what it actually costs to live here. They are increasingly invisible within our current system.

A system under strain

What we are seeing is not a failure of individuals, it is a failure of systems.

Across every sector, the same challenges are being reported:

  • Services are fragmented and difficult to navigate
  • Support is often too slow or arrives too late
  • Eligibility thresholds exclude families in real need
  • Funding models remain reactive rather than preventative

Families themselves describe systems that feel disconnected from the reality of their lives.

The conclusion from this work is clear: the system, as it stands, is no longer fit for purpose.

A social and economic imperative

This is not only a social issue. It is an economic one.

If left unaddressed, the consequences are significant and long-term:

  • Reduced workforce participation, particularly among parents
  • Increased pressure on health, education and social services
  • Poorer outcomes for children and young people
  • Worsening inequality and social fragmentation

Jersey cannot build a sustainable economy on financially unstable families.

Strong economies depend on strong families, and right now, that foundation is under strain.

The case for change

There is also reason for hope.

Evidence from Jersey, the UK and elsewhere shows that early, integrated and family-centred support works. Investment in early years, childcare and preventative services leads to better outcomes for children, stronger families and reduced long-term public costs.

Jersey, as a small island, has a unique opportunity to design something better: a system that is joined-up, accessible and built around real lives. But this will require bold and systemic change, not incremental adjustments.

We need to rethink:

  • What a minimum standard of family life should look like in Jersey
  • How we treat housing and childcare as essential infrastructure
  • How we move from crisis response to prevention and early intervention
  • How government, business and community sectors share responsibility for long-term social resilience

An invitation to work differently

We are writing not only to highlight the urgency of this issue, but to invite a different kind of conversation as Jersey enters a new political term.

As a cross-sector collective of organisations and professionals working directly with children and families across Jersey, we stand ready to work constructively with the new Government and States Assembly to:

  • Explore what families are facing in real terms
  • Understand where current systems are falling short
  • Develop practical, sustainable and ambitious solutions
  • Build a more joined-up and preventative approach to family wellbeing

We would welcome the opportunity to convene a cross-sector working session with Ministers and States Members within the first months of the new Assembly.

The change required now must be ambitious enough to meet the reality families are facing, while remaining grounded in evidence, collaboration and lived experience.

A shared responsibility

Families in Jersey are doing everything right –  working hard, contributing to our economy and communities – yet many are still struggling to make ends meet.

This should concern all of us.

The decisions made over the coming years will shape not only immediate outcomes, but the long-term future of our Island. We have a window of opportunity to act, to build a fairer, healthier and more sustainable Jersey.

We urge Jersey’s next Government and States Assembly to seize that opportunity, and we stand ready to work alongside you.

Your sincerely 

Denise Heavey, Mentorhood Jersey

And on behalf of:

Denise Carroll – Milli’s Separated and Step Family

Yvonnne Corbin – Caring Cooks

Tanya Haynes – La Petite Ecole Group of day Nurseries

Phil Horsley – Geomarine

Stuart Hughes – Haute Vallée School

Karen le Roy Harris & Anna Terry – Jersey Community Foundation

Patrick Lynch – Caritas

Lauren Maggs – Brighter Futures

Paul Milbank and Tim Nash – Khora Partners

Patricia Tumelty – Mind Jersey

Fiona Vacher – Jersey Child Care Trust

Kate Wright – Freeda