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The Children’s Commissioner is calling on the Government to urgently start talks with the Educational Psychologists’ union after it branded Jersey not a “safe place” to work.
The Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) made the public declaration last month after what it described as a "failure" by Government to "deal appropriately" with concerns raised by educational psychologists working in Jersey.
It said it was now officially "in dispute" with Government and would no longer recommend the island as a place to work and would not carry adverts for positions.
Commissioner for Children and Young People, Carmel Corrigan, said the comments were “deeply worrying”, adding that she will now be writing to the Education Minister “to seek further information on this issue and his assurance that he will be addressing the Association’s concerns as a matter of urgency”.
Pictured: Carmel Corrigan, Jersey's Children's Commissioner.
“All children in Jersey have a right to an education that supports their intellectual, social and emotional growth and development. However, children with additional needs often find education difficult to fully access and enjoy. We know from our own work with children and young people just how important it is to have accessible, functional support services in place for children who have additional needs. Not providing such assessment and support creates discrimination and inequality in the education system and marginalises these children,” she continued.
“My hope is that this dispute can be resolved through constructive dialogue between the Association and the Government of Jersey – but there can be no delay in this process: that conversation must start now.”
Those concerns are shared by the panel of politicians responsible for scrutinising the running of the Education Department.
Deputy Catherine Curtis, Chair of the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel, told Express last week that her panel had requested a briefing with the Education Minister, having already heard privately from the union about its concerns.
"Educational psychologists have a duty to highlight any necessary changes to improve processes in schools. Best practice would be for them to be supported in raising concerns. Jersey needs to treat its professional staff well," Deputy Curtis said.
AEP President David Collingwood today commented at the time: “It is unfortunate that this dispute has arisen but as the trade union representing educational psychologists, our role is to safeguard the interests of our members.
"We continue to work with senior officers in the States of Jersey and remain hopeful of a successful resolution.”
It comes at a time of significant turbulence within the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department.
CYPES is currently undergoing restructuring once again, with the departure of several senior staff.
The most recent high profile departure to be announced was that of Chief Officer Rob Sainsbury, who took charge of CYPES in October 2021 in an interim capacity after working in the hospital, and was appointed to the role permanently in December 2022.
He will be leaving his role at the end of this month, which the Government says will make a saving of £160,000.
"Jersey needs to treat its professional staff well"
Educational psychologists union brands Jersey not a "safe place" to work
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