Letter - Proposed Budget 2027 - 2030 Review - 19 October 2026

Government of Jersey  

Union Street | St Helier | Jersey | JE2 3DN

Deputy Victoria Li

Chair, Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel

BY EMAIL

19 October 2026 Dear Chair,

Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel Proposed Budget 2027-2030 Review

Thank you for your letter dated the 12th of October 2026 regarding the panel's proposed budget 2027-2030 review.

1. How are children's needs reflected within wider capital projects such as schools, community facilities and family support infrastructure?

• The Children's Services budget balances our statutory responsibilities with continued investment in prevention and early intervention.

• The two most significant areas of investment are supporting children safely within their families wherever possible and ensuring sufficient high-quality local care for children who cannot remain at home.

• The focus on investing in developing loving homes is a significant pillar of the Children's Services Improvement Plan created in response to the evidence of a significant shortfall of residential homes for children who needed to come into care due to risk of harm.

• Development of the business case for capital investment in loving homes was based on detailed analysis and modelling of predicted numbers of children in care including numbers of children living off-island. This enabled an understanding of the level of need and a forecast of the future need for sufficiency of residential provision needed to provide a high quality, sustainable, cost effective, model of care on the island.

• Delivery of the capital aspects of the plan will provide a more sustainable, high-quality residential estate that improves outcomes for children and young people and enables them to remain close to their families and communities even when they cannot remain living with their families.

• Children and young people continue to influence service design and delivery, including the development of our children's home, residential estate and child-friendly policies.

How does the proposed Budget support the delivery of infrastructure that benefits children, young people and families.

• The proposed budget supports the delivery of a resilient, future-proof sustainable and stable estate of high-quality homes and care for the island's most vulnerable children.

• The most significant benefit is improved placement stability, reducing the number of disruptive moves for children. Placement stability is a critical factor influencing the wellbeing and long-term outcomes of children in care. Over the longer term, the investment in the estate will see fewer moves for children in care.

• The proposal represents a vital opportunity to transform children's residential care in Jersey, ensuring every child has the opportunity to live in a stable, supportive environment that meets their needs and nurtures their potential.

• The completion of the Bright Spots survey summer 2026 (a survey of children in care and care leavers) demonstrates that children are beginning to experience growing improvement in their feeling of happiness and positivity. More of our children in care and care leavers feel happier and safer where they live compared to those care experienced children who were surveyed in 2023.

• For children in residential care, there is an increasing focus on work to gain their views and engage them in service design and delivery. E.g., input to the design at the secure home, decoration of bedrooms in homes, input to developing child friendly policies, accommodation availability when home from university etc.,

• The capital part of this investment is overseen by a Finance board reporting into the Children's Services Improvement (CSIP) board, with tight oversight of resources to ensure the benefits are delivered.

2. What proportion of the departmental budget is spent on:  

• Children's Social Care;

• Looked-After Children

• Foster Care; and

• Family Support Services.

The proportion of the 2027 departmental budget spent on the areas outlined are:

Figures are based on the proportion of the whole budget including staffing, operating costs and cost of care packages, not included above.

3. How much of the budget is committed to statutory services, and how much remains flexible for preventative or early-intervention work?

The budget committed to delivering statutory services is £46.5 million. This includes Children's Social Care, Children in Care and CAMHS. It also includes functions which are configured to support the delivery of the statutory service e.g., quality and standards, learning and development and business administration functions.

The remaining £12.4 million (21%) is committed to providing early intervention and prevention services.

The majority of the spend is on staffing.

4. Are there any planned efficiency savings within Children and Families? If so:

o What are they?

o What is their value?

Efficiency savings of £469,000 are planned for 2027 relating to the value for money target applied to the service. These will be achieved by reduced staffing costs as part of leadership and service restructures.

5. What measurable outcomes are expected from investment in the Loving Homes Programme?

The measurable outcomes expected from investment in the loving homes programme are:

6. How will Loving Homes reduce reliance on off-Island placements?

• The Loving Homes project aims to reduce reliance on off-island placements in the longer term from 2029, though it is recognised that specialist off island provision will always be needed, in the same way it is required for example for health provision.

• The delivering of the Loving Homes plan will increase the availability and quality of local care and support services, enabling children and young people to remain safely within their family.

• Where children cannot remain at home or in their extended families, expanding local placement capacity through the development of additional foster care, residential care, and supported accommodation options will enable more children to remain on island.

• Developing specialist therapeutic and clinical support on-island, enabling children with complex emotional, behavioural, or mental health needs to receive appropriate care locally.

• Improving recruitment, training, and retention of the children's workforce, ensuring sufficient skilled staff are available to support children safely within Jersey.

• Increasing placement stability by improving matching, support, and respite services for carers, reducing placement breakdowns that can lead to off-island moves.

• Building local expertise and specialist pathways for children with complex needs, reducing the need to seek provision elsewhere.

• Strengthening early intervention and family support services to prevent needs from escalating to the point where specialist off-island placements are required.  

• The investment in the Multidisciplinary Service including adolescent edge of care services is already providing interventions which divert children away from care, reducing the likelihood of an off-island placement to disrupt risks outside of the home. This is already being evidenced in the reduction of children who go missing from care (down over 80% this year) and the reduction of children missing from home, and through the work to support children who live at home to reduce family breakdown.  

• Enhancing multi-agency working between education, health, social care, and community services to provide coordinated support around the child and family.

• Relaunch and strengthening of Jersey Children's First approach and the Team around the Child will mean partners across the wider children's workforce will be more skilled in undertaking assessments and delivering interventions at an earlier stage – reducing the need to child to escalate into statutory services.

• Children will only need to tell their story once as assessments and plans will follow them through the different levels of the continuum of need ensuring the children get the right level of help at the right time.

Expected Outcomes

Through enhanced early intervention, expanded local placement options, strengthened specialist provision, and a skilled workforce, the programme will improve outcomes for children while reducing the need for external placements:

• More children remain close to their families, schools, and communities.

• Better continuity of care and stronger outcomes for children and young people.

• Reduced financial costs associated with high-cost off-island placements.

• Greater self-sufficiency and resilience within Jersey's children's services.

7. What is the demand forecast for children's residential care? The demand forecast for children's residential care is as follows:

• Forecast sufficiency focused on the 7 homes providing children in residential care with permanence and supported accommodation for care leavers.

• This excludes secure and specialist custodial accommodation and Short Break provision for children in need (1 x secure home and 2 short break units).

8. How is demand for children's social care projected to change during the Common Strategic Policy period?

Modelling of demand forecast a gradual increase over the period to 2028. Sufficiency planning for fostering, the residential care, off island placement and care leavers supported accommodation was based around this model.

Substantial work was undertaken to develop a business case to respond to anticipated demand. Demand modelling indicated a requirement for approximately 16 residential places in 2025, increasing to 27 places by 2030.

Forecasts are reviewed regularly through sufficiency planning and are used to inform future capacity and investment decisions.

The forecast relates to mainstream residential and supported accommodation provision and excludes secure and specialist custodial accommodation and short break provision.

9. What benefit is expected from youth centre investment and how will success be measured?

• Investing in a Youth Centre is a strategic move towards nurturing the potential of young people living in town, providing them with a safe environment to grow, learn, and contribute positively to society.

• The business case outlined the key benefits and justifications for funding such a facility, focusing on its long-term social and economic impact.

• The Town has seen a decline in Youth Facilities over the years and with an increase in housing and population within the town area, there is a need for a modern, fit for purpose Youth Centre for the children and young people.

• A youth centre represents an investment in the future of the community, by providing a supportive and enriching environment, so that the Government of Jersey can ensure that young people have the opportunities they need to thrive, ultimately leading to a stronger, safer, and more prosperous society.

• The case for investment is clear: it is a commitment to the next generation and the long-term well-being of the entire community

We know from experience that Youth Work contributes to;

• Reduced crime and anti-social behaviour

• Improved health and wellbeing

• Support for schools and troubled families

• Improved community cohesion

The expected benefits and measures of success are in development and will focus on outcomes for children and young people and improved service delivery

Expected Benefits

1. Increased participation by children and young people

• More young people who live in town accessing Youth Work opportunities.

• Increased engagement from groups who may currently be underrepresented, including vulnerable young people and those living in areas of higher need.

2. Improved outcomes for young people

• Enhanced emotional wellbeing, resilience, confidence and self-esteem.

• Development of life skills, social skills, leadership skills and employability skills.

• Improved educational engagement and reduced risk-taking behaviours.

• Support the integration of children and young people new to Jersey

3. Greater accessibility and inclusion

• Modern, purpose-built facilities that are accessible to all children and young people.

• Increased capacity to meet current and future demand.

4. Stronger early intervention and prevention

• Opportunities to identify and support children and young people before difficulties escalate.

• Reduced demand on more specialist and costly services over time.

6. Enhanced partnership working

• Improved ability to co-locate or work alongside other services such as, health, education, Police and the early help team.

6. Improved quality of youth work provision

• A safe, welcoming and fit-for-purpose environment.

• Greater flexibility to deliver group work, targeted interventions, training and community-based programmes.

How Success Will Be Measured

Participation and Reach

• Annual number of young people attending.

• Number of contacts and sessions delivered.

• Reach into priority and vulnerable groups.

Outcomes for Young People

• Youth work outcome measures demonstrating improvements in:

• Confidence
• Resilience
• Emotional wellbeing
• Relationships
• Independence
• Leadership skills

Service Impact

• Number of targeted interventions delivered to children and young people

• Number of referrals received and supported.

Stakeholder Satisfaction

• Satisfaction surveys from children and young people.

• Feedback from parents/carers.

• Feedback from partner agencies and schools.

Building Utilisation

• Percentage utilisation of rooms and facilities.

• Number of community groups and partner organisations using the centre.

• Evening, weekend and holiday usage levels.

Strategic Outcomes

• Contribution to departmental priorities and the Children and Young People's Plan.

• Evidence that the centre supports early intervention and prevention objectives.

• The investment will be deemed successful when the new Youth Centre significantly increases participation by children and young people, particularly those most vulnerable, delivers measurable improvements in wellbeing and personal development outcomes, supports effective partnership working, and provides a sustainable, high-quality facility capable of meeting the current and future needs of Jersey's young.

10. What is the percentage of your Proposed Budget going towards staff costs? The percentage the proposed budget going towards staffing costs is 78%.

I do hope this information provided is helpful. Please let me know if you need any additional information.

Yours Sincerely

Constable Richard Vibert Minister for Children and Families