Thursday 02 October 2014
The Scrutiny Committee has officially launched its review into the implementation of the Children Law and has appointed an independent Commissioner to lead the review.
The Scrutiny Committee previously announced that it intended to carry out a review of this area as part of its forward work programme. A panel has now been appointed comprising Deputy Robert Jones (Chair), Deputy Heidi Soulsby, Deputy Scott Ogier and Deputy Paul Le Pelley.
The Children (Guernsey and Alderney) Law, 2008 ("the Children Law") which came into effect in January 2010 reformed the law in Guernsey and Alderney. The Children Law has now been in operation for over four years. Recently issues have been raised by elected representatives, the media and members of the public relating to the circumstances where government agencies and departments intervene in family lives.
The Committee believes it is therefore prudent to review the impact of the new Children Law to identify whether the policy objectives, in particular the aims of earlier, integrated and holistic intervention, have been achieved and to identify whether they have:
- been effective in preventing children becoming children at risk;
- resulted in a robust system for the protection of children;
- led to better outcomes for children and young people.
The Committee can confirm that the review findings will be published and the evidence gathered will be tested in a public hearing. The Committee intends that the review will be completed within the second quarter of 2015.
Due to the specialist nature of this review and its sensitivities, the Committee has appointed an independent expert, Kathleen Marshall, to lead the review. Kathleen Marshall was the first Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland from 2004 to 2009 and a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde with extensive experience in the field of children's issues.
Scrutiny Committee Chair Deputy Rob Jones said:
"We are pleased that we are now in a position to formally launch this much anticipated review and have secured the services of Kathleen Marshall. Her experience and knowledge in this area will add real value to the review and her independence will ensure that the review is fair and impartial."
-ENDS-
Further information
The complete Terms of Reference for this review are available at: www.gov.gg/scrutiny/workinprogress
A Call for Evidence will be issued next year when interested parties including members of the public will be invited to give submissions on the areas set out in the Terms of Reference. A dedicated e-mail address has been set up for this purpose: Scrutinyreview@gov.gg
Contact Information
Anna Henry, Scrutiny Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 1481 717 223
E-mail: anna.henry@gov.gg
