Joint Statement to Partners from the Convenor and President

6 April 2020

Like all business and services within the Bailiwick, the Offices of the Children’s Convenor and President of the Child Youth and Community Tribunal (CYCT) have been significantly affected by the steps being taken to control the spread of the coronavirus. 

Our office at Briarwood, La Grande Rue, St Martins is now closed to the public and almost all our staff and Tribunal members are undertaking their roles from home.

During this time we need to ensure that existing legal orders do not lapse and that we can continue to take action to protect children and young people where this is necessary. 

The following is a summary of the plans that we have put in place:

• Only those hearings required for the urgent and immediate protection of a child and those that are time critical will be taking place. All non-essential hearings until the end of May have been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date where necessary. 
•  
• Until further notice Hearings of the CYCT will take place remotely by telephone conference call.  This involves the Convenor dialling out from Briarwood to all of those persons taking part in the Hearing including the Tribunal members.
•  
• We are exploring other options for remote hearings and we will keep you updated on our progress on this. 
•  
• Remote Hearings will continue to take place at the usual times of 9.30am and 1.30pm.
•  
• While the postal service is still operating we will continue to send Hearing notification letters and papers to young people and their families by post.  We will be sending Hearing notification letters and all other correspondence to professionals by secure email.
•  
• Professionals must contact us on 213290 or [email protected] as soon as they receive a Hearing notification email to provide us with a telephone number that we can contact you on at time of the Hearing.  
• If we haven’t heard from you we will presume that you will not be taking part.
•  
• Our administrative staff will be working very limited hours from Briarwood therefore updates, reports and documents for a Hearing of the CYCT will need to be received by us at least 10 days in advance of the Hearing if they are to be included within the Tribunal papers for the Hearing.  Where possible these should be sent by secure email to [email protected]. We will not be able to include information received after this deadline.

We understand the circumstances that all our partners are currently experiencing. 

We will be as understanding and as flexible as we can be during these uncertain times.