Funding cut 'will impact work to fight for children'

A watchdog said a £61,000 funding cut would "restrict" its ability to fight for the rights of children and young people.

The Office of the Children's Commissioner for Jersey (OCCJ), which promotes and protects the rights of the island's children and young people, issued the warning after an amendment to reinstate the money was defeated in the States Assembly.

The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel argued the role of the commissioner was of "critical importance", but the amendment was defeated by 26 votes to 14, with four abstentions.

An OCCJ spokesperson described the decision to cut its budget by £61,000 as "deeply disappointing". The BBC has approached the government for comment.

The OCCJ warned the move would affect "the independence of an office that the assembly itself created in response to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry".

The inquiry was set up to investigate physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect of children in residential homes and foster care from 1945 to the present.

"We will, of course, continue to champion the rights of children and young people with determination," said the OCCJ spokesperson.

"But it is important for the island to understand that this decision will restrict our ability to do so, and it sends an unfortunate signal about the value placed on children's rights and their strong, independent oversight."

In November Children's Commissioner Dr Carmel Corrigan told the BBC the funding cut would leave the commission unable to commission "valuable independent research".

She said: "It would force us to abandon planned projects that would nurture essential on-island expertise in areas where there is currently little or none."

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