January 30, 2026.
RE: Proposition P.14/2026, “Treating children as children”
Dear States Assembly Members,
We write to you as Trustees of the Jersey Community Relations Trust to urge you to give careful and thoughtful consideration to the potential harms posed by Proposition P.14/2026, “Treating children as children”, and to vote against it.
The Jersey Community Relations Trust exists to promote good relations, mutual respect and social cohesion across our island. From that perspective, we are deeply concerned that this proposition, if adopted, would cause real and disproportionate harm to one of Jersey’s smallest and most vulnerable communities: trans and gender-questioning children and their families.
1. Harm to a tiny and visible minority
Jersey is a small community. Policy changes here do not land quietly or abstractly; they are felt immediately and personally. For minority and marginalised groups, that impact is magnified.
The trans community in Jersey is very small, particularly when it comes to children and young people. This proposition would single them out explicitly, recasting their existence in schools primarily as a safeguarding risk rather than as children deserving of dignity, care and support. The likely effect is not protection, but increased stigma, fear and isolation – outcomes that run directly counter to safeguarding and to the principles of child wellbeing.
We are concerned that this proposition would legitimise exclusion and non-recognition in educational settings, sending a clear message to trans children that they are a “problem to be managed” rather than members of the school community to be supported.
2. A policy-making process that undermines democratic and professional standards
We are also troubled by how this policy has been brought forward.
Policy affecting children, education and safeguarding must be led top-down by elected government, reflecting the needs and will of the whole community. It should not be drafted and dictated by any single-issue interest group, regardless of where that group sits on the political spectrum.
This proposition asks the Assembly to replace existing government guidance with a document authored by a campaigner associated with one particular ideological position. That is not an appropriate or robust basis for public policy.
Any review or revision of guidance of this significance should:
- Be developed by government policy professionals and legislative draftsmen
- Sit under clear Ministerial oversight
- Involve consultation with qualified medical professionals, CAMHS, safeguarding leads and educational experts
- Include engagement with affected families and, crucially, children themselves
None of this is meaningfully evidenced in the proposition before you.
3. Misrepresentation of existing Jersey schools guidance
The proposition asserts that current guidance is ideologically driven, parent-excluding and encourages rapid transition. This is not supported by the guidance itself.
The existing Trans Inclusion Guidance:
- Is explicitly parent-centric, with parental involvement the norm unless there are safeguarding concerns
- States clearly that medical decisions are not made in schools
- Encourages a “watch and wait” approach, recognising that identities may evolve
- Emphasises case-by-case support, safeguarding and professional judgement
- Acknowledges uncertainty and commits to ongoing review as evidence and law develop
Far from imposing an ideology, the current guidance reflects caution, balance and compassion, and aligns with Jersey’s legal duties under the UNCRC, human rights legislation and safeguarding frameworks.
4. Where are the voices of those affected?
We ask States Members to consider:
- Have the parents of trans or gender-questioning children in Jersey been sufficiently consulted?
- Have their lived experiences informed this proposition?
- Where, in this proposal, is the voice of the child, a core principle of children’s rights and modern safeguarding practice?
Safeguarding does not require the erasure of children’s voices; it requires listening to them carefully, in partnership with parents and professionals.
5. Jersey’s values
Jersey rightly prides itself on openness, fairness and tolerance. This proposition, in both its substance and its process, is at odds with those values.
Safeguarding must never be used as a cover for exclusion.
Policy disagreement must never become permission for intolerance.
We should not tolerate intolerance – especially when it is directed at children.
For these reasons, we urge you to vote against Proposition P.14/2026 and instead support any future review of guidance through a transparent, evidence-led, professionally informed and inclusive process that reflects the best of Jersey’s democratic and community values.
Yours sincerely,
The Trustees
Jersey Community Relations Trust