I believe my child's rights have not been upheld

If you feel that your child's rights have not been upheld by a service, it is important to try to resolve the issue directly with them. This may mean meeting with someone in the organisation to talk about the problem and see how it can be fixed. If a successful outcome is not achieved informally, the next step is to follow the organisation's complaint process and escalate using their process where necessary.

Most organisations have complaint forms on their websites to help you to make a complaint, or look for the words feedback, comments or contact us. You should also ask about the organisations child friendly complaint process, should a young person want to raise a complaint themselves. 

Click here for more specific information on how to raise a concern with a Government organisation.

If your complaint or concern is not about a Government of Jersey department or service, please check the website of the organisation you want to complain about, or ask them for their complaints process and policy.

You can still contact us for advice and guidance with this. 

Can the Commissioner's Office investigate my child's case?

The Children’s Commissioner does not have an ombudsman function which means that the Commissioner is not able to act on behalf of every individual case or complaint about a public body.

The Commissioner and team can act as a source of help and support if children and young people, or those who care for them, feel that a child has been unfairly treated and their rights not respected.

The Children’s Commissioner team can support you by advising of other organisations who may be able to help. The team will not be able to make a complaint on your behalf but can direct you to the right process to ensure your complaint is heard.

The Office work to promote and protect children and young people's rights in a number of ways; we value shared experiences of families and young people where there is learning for us in terms of trying to make things better. We use the thematic issues raised with us through our advice and support function, which enable us to understand what families are experiencing in Jersey and therefore how to tackle this directly with an organisation or at a strategic level.