VIDEO: Special needs children get £23k boost

Sunday 05 March 2017

Special needs children in Jersey will receive an extra helping hand following a grant to the Jersey Child Care Trust (JCCT).

JCCT has been given £23,845 by the Lloyds Bank Foundation to support their Special Needs Inclusion Project.

The project supports young children with special educational needs and disabilities in nurseries throughout Jersey. Last year, the scheme provided over 7,500 hours of specialist support for 37 children with special educational needs and disabilities in 17 mainstream local nurseries.

Fiona Vacher, Executive Director, Jersey Child Care Trust, said: “We are so proud to have the generous support of the Foundation; however, it means far more than simply the financial investment. The grant shows an endorsement of how robustly the Jersey Child Care Trust is run and the quality of its work supporting young children with special educational needs and disabilities to go to nursery.”

The grant from the Lloyds Foundation will support one specialist Support Worker from JCCT who help enable these children to access mainstream nursery settings in Jersey.

VIDEO: Harry’s story - a child who benefits for the Special Need Inclusion Project and JCCT support.

Speaking about the application process for the grant, Ms Vacher said: “It was a good and rigorous application process. Having passed this, it can encourage others to know that they too can be confident that our specialist support for children and their families is a good investment and one that pays huge dividends to the whole community in future years.”

Jo Le Poidevin, Executive Director, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, said: “I’m really pleased to see the Jersey Child Care Trust as one of our grant recipients. The work they undertake is integral in ensuring that children with special educational needs are able to access mainstream nurseries.

"It’s reassuring to know that this grant will be directly affecting these children and their families in a positive and supportive way which will make the most significant difference to their education and learning.”