Jersey children’s minister nominee says child grooming is “widespread” across the island

The incoming Jersey children’s minister has said he believes the grooming of young people is taking place “throughout the island”, as he outlined his concerns during a States Assembly hearing ahead of his appointment.

Constable Richard Vibert made the comments while being questioned by politicians as part of the approval process for his four-year ministerial term.

He told members he was aware of specific cases but warned the issue was not confined to isolated incidents or individual settings.

“I believe that children are being groomed throughout our island, sadly,” he said, adding that the problem extended beyond the situations he had directly encountered.

His remarks came after Deputy Karen Wilson raised concerns about safeguarding at La Passerelle, a Jersey school supporting children with social, emotional and mental health needs. She asked what action he would take in response to “ongoing concerns about the grooming of children” at the school.

Responding, Vibert said: “There are children being groomed throughout our island, sadly. We have resources; we have people that specialise in that. It is a problem, but there is a particular problem at La Passerelle and we will work with the education minister to understand that.”

He added that the issue extended beyond specific groups of children and required a broader response.

Vibert also referred to a previous court case last year in which 43 children were found to have been exploited as part of a gang, saying it demonstrated the scale of the issue.

“That indicates just how big a problem this is and how we possibly need to look at how we can become aware at an earlier stage,” he said. “Establishing who’s being groomed and when it’s happening is a difficult task, but I think we can do more.”

He said he would consider a review into safeguarding arrangements, although he stopped short of committing to one.

The Government of Jersey’s Children, Young People, Education and Skills department said it would not comment on individual schools or cases, but stressed that safeguarding procedures were in place across the education system.

“Parents and carers can be reassured that schools have robust safeguarding arrangements in place,” a spokesperson said, adding that concerns are “followed up promptly and escalated where necessary”.

The department said tackling exploitation and grooming remained a “very serious priority” for government, schools, police and safeguarding partners, and highlighted ongoing multi-agency work to strengthen protections for children both online and offline.