02/08/2013 BBC Channel Islands News

top stories tonight: Detecting children, a new approach to the

detection and intervention of abuse. We'll Guernsey's States agreed to

pay off �2 billion of government property. Don't miss your chance to

see this historic piece of treasure up close and personal. I will have

all of the weather details. We have a fair amount of sunshine with a

chance of showers. Vulnerable children in Jersey should be better

protected under a new system to detect and intervene in abusive

situations. That's the idea behind a new 'Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub'

or Chesil Beach for short, which has been set up to speed up the response

to child cruelty in the island. The news comes as the parents of four

year old Daniel Pelka are jailed in the UK for physically and mentally

abusing the four year old over a number of years. Emma Chambers

reports. Starved and subjected to 'incomprehensible brutality' by

those that are meant to care for him. Daniel Pelka's abusers have

today been jailed for life. Now a Serious Case Review will examine

whether any opportunities were mist to stop the abuse. It's cases like

Daniel's which has spurred the launch of a new child protection

service in Jersey. It's called the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub and is

made up by representatives from the children's service, Jersey police,

States departments as well as family nursing and home care. It's hoped

this move will give greater protection to children and young

people in Jersey - by providing a single point of contact for anybody

with any concerns or enquiries. It also enables the different

departments to work more closely together and respond faster. So it's

not too late - like it was for Daniel. So how possible is a case

like Daniel Pelka in Jersey? I spoke to the Head of Children Services

Sean Pontin earlier and asked him why this new system is really

needed? The island benefits from multi agency work. It is predominant

in the island but we are always keen to do things better and learn what

is going on elsewhere, so bringing agencies and professionals together

in one environment will allow all services to respond quicker to the

children's needs, and offer the right support women need to. We've

seen the sad case of Daniel Pelka in the UK - it appears there was many

missed opportunities to save him, could something like that happen in

the Channel Islands? We must not be complacent about those things and we

must pick things up early and that is what Multi-Agency Safeguarding

Hub is designed to do. How will it work in terms of stepping in if you

pick up that a child is in danger? At the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub

professionals come together and make a decision on how to intervene. We

set ourselves a tight timescale. If it is a red case then we have to

respond by the end of the day or within 24 hours. Straightaway that

referral will go to the social work team or the police and we will get

out there straightaway. We will ask questions and get out there

immediately. We will be curious and compassionate because sometimes it

is about support as well as intervention. Plans which would see

around twenty key States buildings in Guernsey sold off, or vacated,

came in for fierce criticism today. It would save millions of pounds in

the long run - but there was concern the proposals lacked detail. Our

reporter Penny Elderfield joins us now live from our Guernsey news

room. So what were deputies so worried about? The States owe a lot

of property, 2 billion pounds worth. These plans mean the government

could get rid of 20 buildings. Key ones would be refurbished to House

more staff. Others like Raymond Falla House would be sold. As would

the fire and police stations. With all the emergency services in future

located on one site. So far reaching changes, and the politicians behind

the plans recognise that. There are practical implications and one

should not underestimate what a significant project it is and the

time it will take, but that is not a good reason for not doing it.

problem was they were too far reaching for some. So instead of

ploughing ahead with it all the Policy Council will have to come

back with more information before they really get going. Education was

the other big issue of the day - what will happened with that?

that department can get on with its work which is equally as ambitious.

The Education's vision for the next couple of decades was approved. This

includes things like introducing free pre-school education, looking

at the 11 plus, and having all post-16 education on one site. So

that's all moving forward. And one other thing that's moving up is the

minimum wage. That's going to be �6.50 for adults - although some

felt that wasn't enough. You need to end up working 60 or 70 hours a week

at the bare minimum rates to earn enough money to live on. That, I

think, is demoralising. Unfortunately, I am the only one who

seems to think that. So the end of a busy four days of work for Guernsey

States - luckily, now there's the normal August break so they can

recover. Guernsey needs a new bus depot and a new fleet. That's

according to the island's Environment Minister - and Deputy

Roger Domaille believes the �20 million price tag is worth it. It

comes as a former States member is recommending the introduction of a

mini-tram system. Mike Wilkins reports. Sometimes referred to as

the green monsters, the island's bus fleet isn't exactly loved by

everyone. Some people in Guernsey cannot stand these buses which they

claim are too big for the roads. The fleet is a decades-old and the

environment Department says it is becoming expensive to maintain. It

wants to spend �20 million on building a new bus depot. Mike I

think they are clean and efficient. There is life in them. We are

rescheduling the use of the buses to extend their lives. As they get

older they get more expensive to maintain and there is a point, like

with your own car, when it is sensible to replace. So what kind of

vehicle should replace these? Well, there are many options from

purchasing to leasing and also many different kinds of vehicles. The

former President of the States Traffic Commitee, Tony Bran, told

the BBC today that he and the Chief Officer were exploring this option -

the Minitram, seen here in the tourist hotspot of Stratford upon

Avon. Whether the Environment department gets the money it claims

it needs to build a depot and update the fleet remains to be seen. The

States still needs to prioritise which projects receive funding. And

the politicians' attempt to put their priorities in order has taken

another knock back this week so the wait will continue. It's three and a

half centuries old - and is normally reserved for the most important

occasions. But this summer Jersey's Royal Mace is on display to the

public. The exhibition marks the 350th anniversary of the mace being

presented to the island by King Charles the Second. Pam Caulfield

went to see it. It's been carried before the Bailiff for the last 350

years. And from today you can see it in all it's glory. It is one of the

hidden treasures of the island. You can see it from a distance on

Liberation Day. Or you can see it in court but you never get the chance

to look at it up close. Now you can see it from two or three feet away.

And by doing that you can appreciate the finer details - and how heavy it

is. It weighs seven kilos - and is made up of 11 pieces of silver gilt.

Quite a present from King Charles II who gave it to Jersey as a thank you

for it's loyalty during the English Civil War in 1663 - and it's been

paraded ever since. Behind me is the detail of the image. This is the

first image of the Royal Mace. it is in the flesh. You can see the

deputy viscount and the Bailiff who is laying a time capsule into the

foundation stone. This happened at Victoria Harbour in 1841. Even

today, the Royal Mace still captures the attention of the public - who

can see it at the Jersey Museum throughout the summer. Let's take a

look at the weekend weather. Here is Emily. Hello. We do have some more

sunshine to come across the weekend. One or two showers around for this

evening. A little bit breezy at times but the sunshine should feel

pleasantly warm. Many of us would get away with a dry weekend. The

cold front is pushing away towards the West and once that clears we

have a ridge of high pressure towards the south. On Sunday,

generally fine through the day but there is this low pressure out

towards the west that will push in and bring some wet weather on Sunday

night and into Monday. This evening there are some showers around but

there are clear skies in the early hours. A south-westerly breeze

during the night which is making things feel a little cooler.

Temperature is no lower than 15 or 16 degrees. First thing tomorrow

morning we will have some sunshine around but there will be some

showers as well. It's should feel pleasant enough with temperatures

between 19 and 22 degrees. Out at between 19 and 22 degrees. Out at

sea there are fair conditions with isolated showers. Generally good

visibility. Here are the times of high water... Some choppy conditions

at first tomorrow and two or three foot waves. The rest of the weekend

will see a fair amount of sunshine on Sunday but it may cloud over

later on in the day. The start of next week is unsettled with showery