‘It’s not as daunting as a court’ – civil servant Janet Gaggs has been spearheading work on the new juvenile system. (Picture by Daniel Guerin, 0630900)

GUERNSEY will enter a new era of child justice and welfare next year. A new law will be introduced that will move away from the current juvenile court system and into one governed by the child youth and community tribunal system.

The new set-up is based on one used in Scotland which looks holistically at any child where concerns exist about their welfare. Underlying issues causing distress should then be dealt with.

Concerns could have been raised about a juvenile’s well-being by police. If they had committed petty crimes, or by teachers, neighbours or family members if they were worried about any situation. The new system will then look at the child or youth’s entire life to try to identify problem areas where support can be offered.

The CYCT system will remove children or youths (aged up to 18) from appearing in the Juvenile Court for petty crimes – serious crimes such as murder would still be dealt with by the courts. Instead it would place them in the hands of a tribunal that will look at all aspects of the situation before coming to a judgement.