Reports from the service supporting young people in the family justice system went unpublished from 2021, it masked recent staffing pressures
- Family Proceedings Advisory Service annual reports for 2022–2025 were not published, but have now been made available online
- Reports were compiled and presented to Home Affairs but not uploaded to public website until issue was raised in FOI request
- Three qualified Family Proceedings Advisers left the service in 2025 after zero departures in previous three years
- FPAS head said it faced considerable staffing pressures
- Service received 10 complaints in 2022, seven in 2023, one in 2024 and seven in 2025, with no independent external ombudsman available
Four annual reports from the service responsible for safeguarding children and young people in the family justice system were not published until Home Affairs was pressed on the issue by a Freedom of Information request.
The latest, covering 2025, shows the Family Proceedings Advisory Service was operating at a reduced capacity after three qualified staff left.
Home Affairs answered and FoI request about whether the Family Proceedings Advisory Service had been meeting its legal obligations under the Children (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Guernsey and Alderney) Ordinance, 2009.
The ordinance requires FPAS to compile and submit an annual report to Home Affairs. Reports for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 had been compiled and presented to the committee, but they were not made available to the public until recently.
The 2022 report was presented to the committee on 14 June 2023, the 2023 report on 30 September 2024, the 2024 report on 12 May 2025, and the 2025 report on 21 July 2026.
In response to questions about why the reports had not been released, the committee stated: "The matter of annual reports not being uploaded to the FPAS website is one which has now been addressed. Furthermore, the FPAS annual reports can be found at www.gov.gg/familyproceedingsadvisoryservice."
The FOI request also sought detailed information about the service's performance, citing historical concerns raised in a 2017 Ofsted report and a 2015 Catherine Marshall Report, which identified issues including procedural delays, high workloads and systemic inconsistencies.
When asked about average timeframes for completing cases, the committee said it was not possible to calculate an average because "cases considered by FPAS are complex and the requirements in terms of report requirements will vary from case to case, with some requiring the preparation of multiple reports".
The committee stated that no data is held showing any court-ordered deadlines for reports were missed between 2023 and 2025.
Regarding staffing, the substantive Head of FPAS post was occupied throughout the period from January 2022 to December 2025. No qualified Family Proceedings Advisers left the service in 2022, 2023 or 2024, but three qualified advisers departed in 2025.
The average caseload for a full-time established adviser following an induction period is between 18 and 22 private, public, adoption and Children and Young People's Court cases, in addition to a caseload of mediation cases.
Complaint numbers varied significantly over the four-year period. FPAS received 10 complaints in 2022, seven in 2023, one in 2024 and seven in 2025. However, the committee noted that administrative records for complaints submitted in 2024 are currently incomplete and the figure may be subject to change.
The FOI request highlighted that FPAS operates without an independent external ombudsman, leaving families with no external route of appeal. The committee's response confirmed that the FPAS complaints policy provides for review of complaints by the Office of the Committee for Home Affairs.
"The Jersey Family Court Advisory Service and other independent consultants may, where appropriate, review complaints where clients are dissatisfied with internal complaints reviews; the majority of complaints have been resolved informally," the response stated.
On operational practice guidance, the committee said that such guidance is available and utilised by all advisers. The document is regularly updated by the Head of Service and Deputy Manager to ensure consistency of service delivery in accordance with legal and family justice best practice recommendations and frameworks.
The guidance was last updated and circulated on 9 December 2025, but is not currently a matter of public record.
The committee stated that it meets with the FPAS manager at least twice a year as part of its business monitoring cycle, in addition to the submission of annual reports, to ensure the service fulfils its legal reporting mandates.
The 2025 Annual Report touches on FPAS' staffing issues.
“Throughout 2025, FPAS faced considerable staffing pressures, operating for much of the year at reduced capacity,” Fiona Ray Head of Service Family Proceedings Advisory Service said in the 2025 annual report.
“Despite these constraints, our team remained committed to delivering high-quality, independent advice to the Family Court and the Child Youth and Community Tribunal.
“We prioritised urgent cases and safeguarding concerns and continued to provide support to families through our mediation service, which saw a notable increase in enquiries and referrals.
“The complexity of cases, the rise in administrative demands, and the need for robust data protection have all required us to adapt and innovate.”
During 2025, FPAS supported a total of 247 children and young people across both new and ongoing cases.
Q&A
Q: Why were FPAS annual reports not published since 2021?
A: The Committee for Home Affairs stated that the matter of annual reports not being uploaded to the FPAS website has now been addressed. The reports had been compiled and presented to the committee but were not made publicly available until the issue was raised in a freedom of information request.
Q: What independent oversight exists for complaints against FPAS?
A: The FPAS complaints policy provides for review by the Office of the Committee for Home Affairs. The Jersey Family Court Advisory Service and other independent consultants may review complaints where clients are dissatisfied with internal reviews, though the majority of complaints have been resolved informally. There is no independent external ombudsman.
Q: How many Family Proceedings Advisers left the service between 2022 and 2025?
A: No qualified Family Proceedings Advisers left the service in 2022, 2023 or 2024. However, three qualified advisers departed in 2025. The substantive Head of FPAS post was occupied throughout the entire period from January 2022 to December 2025.
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