Letter of the week William Emslie, former Jersey social worker

Community Care

Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret should be congratulated for his quest to root out poor practice in Jersey's care system (Community Care, 30 August).

Twenty years ago, as a young graduate social worker, I worked at Heathfield, one of the homes in Jersey recommended for closure by the 2002 Kathie Bull report.

Our team had taken on the legacy of Haut De La Garenne - a monolithic children's home staffed by caring but mainly untrained, unqualified staff. There, solitary confinement, corporal punishment and many other dubious practices were rife. On its closure, those young people deemed "workable" were farmed out to foster carers and so-called Family Group Homes (that's another story) leaving us at Heathfield with a residue of damaged, institutionalised adolescents.

I like to think that we (staff and young people together) broke the mould. After two years, we had a small community of "unplaceable" children who had a real investment in their home. I'm honoured still to be in contact with many of them. Some have mental health, offending, drug and alcohol issues as adults few have meaningful academic qualifications. Most, however, are leading productive lives with decent jobs and families of their own. All have their own stories to tell.

At that time, the practice of solitary confinement of children in Staffordshire (which became known as Pindown) was roundly condemned by influential child-care professionals. Later we had the implementation of the Children Act 1989, with all its talk of partnership and child advocacy. The future looked bright and enlightened.

The problem is that legislation changes nothing. Here we are, 20 years on and, let's face it, nothing has changed. Children are still demonised. Abuse is still sanctioned by the care system. Britain still locks up more young people at a younger age than most of our European neighbours.

Let's not get the idea that Jersey is an outback of repressive practice. The issues are the same here as they are in the UK the only difference is that we have a bold politician like Stuart Syvret prepared to champion the cause of child protection.

The waves could be far reaching, if others in the social care system are brave enough to allow them to reach the shores of good practice.

Let's hope that Andrew Williamson's review of child care services in Jersey will move the tide forward. Somehow I doubt it, though. And it will achieve nothing unless those UK professionals in their ivory towers of politically correct good practice sit up and listen to the lessons learned from Jersey's disaffected youth.