This Is Guernsey

By Anna Brehaut

NSPCC centre users, left to right, Iwona Read with daughter Natalya, Trudi Hurel with daughter Candy and Lisa Burtenshaw with son Harry. (0860026)

GUERNSEY’S NSPCC centre could close within months.

The charity has been based in Trinity Court, Park Street, for five years. Seven full-time staff stand to lose their job as well as five other part-time social workers.

The news has saddened staff and users, including members of the mother and toddler group who meet at the centre three times a week.

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children divisional director Peter Liver said the proposal had come after a three-month process and review.

‘Over the last eight or nine years, we have wanted to focus our efforts on key areas,’ he said. ‘We want to reduce the number of properties we have where staff are working with children and to locate our staff primarily where there are the most children in the higher density areas. Clearly, Guernsey doesn’t fit with that as there is a relatively small group of children who use the centre.’

Last year, 1,946 children attended the centre in St Peter Port, whether it was for therapy or for the mother and toddler group. A total of 1,477 adults also attended.

Mr Liver said the closure could happen any time before 31 March.

‘We want to make sure that we make the right decision and we will respond to any feedback and reports from staff or others.

‘We have allowed a relatively broad scale for this.’

The centre costs £400,000 a year to run. As well as offering therapy for children affected by abuse and the mother and toddler group, it also chairs child protection conferences for the Health and Social Services Department.

The charity plans to keep its Jersey centre running. It offers more services than those operated in Guernsey.

Mr Liver said what was offered depended on local needs.

He stressed that the charity remained committed to protecting children in the Bailiwick.

‘The society fully understands that the move will come as sad news to the Bailiwick and not least to the many wonderful people in the local community who have supported the charity for many years,’ he said. ‘Such a move is never easy to make and it’s one that has hasn’t been put forward lightly and without very careful deliberation.’

He said the charity’s work would go on.

‘We will continue to provide advice services to the island and will be more focused on providing information in schools.

‘We would hope that the volunteers in the island would continue to support us.’

The society does not have a centre in Alderney, but has helped some children there.

NSPCC children’s service manager for the Bailiwick Mick Dunbar was told by his bosses in the UK that he could not comment.

Article posted on 26th October, 2009 - 2.30pm