With 14 social security benefits scattered over three departments and two levels of government, it was time for a complete overhaul. Jersey's Minister for Social Security describes how this daunting hodgepodge of assistance programmes was effectively consolidated and targeted more precisely where it was needed most.
Sen. Routier is Jersey's Minister for Social Security with political responsibility for a number of contributory and non-contributory social benefits. He was first elected to the States as a Deputy for his home parish of St. Helier in 1993 and elected as a Senator in 2002.
income support scheme is a fundamental change in the way that Jersey provides financial help to people who need it. It is more effective in tackling real need than the previous, fragmented combination of non- contributory benefits and allowances. In distributing funds in a way that is fair, transparent and accessible, income support provides a safety net for those in real need, while encouraging independence and self- reliance wherever possible.
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Global initiative to local reality The income support scheme introduced in Jersey earlier this year has its origins, at least in part, in the United Nations decade
anuary 2008 saw a major change to the benefits system in Jersey. The new centrally administered and streamlined
in 2000 to work towards an integrated system of benefits to ensure that individuals and families in Jersey would be able to access a comprehensive raft of support. The States of Jersey enthusiastically
endorsed this proposal and the Social Security Department set about turning the idea into reality. The first major issue was the lack of
Sen. Paul F. Routier.
for the eradication of poverty. Many local individuals and politicians worked hard during the late 1990s to raise awareness of global poverty and to identify practical means of addressing the issue of relative poverty locally. As a result of this work, the Social
Security Committee - the political body at that time that was responsible for making policy in this area - made a commitment
data on the local population so an income distribution survey was undertaken to identify the extent of relative poverty within Jersey and to provide valuable information on both household composition and income levels. Jersey is a very prosperous island; but, as in every society, there are a number of citizens whose situation is such that they require financial assistance to maintain at least a minimum standard of living. By 2004, the foundations for the new
scheme had been established. Towards the end of that year, the committee published a paper setting out the shape of the proposed benefit - this included the bold decision to incorporate almost all existing income- related benefits into a single system. This approach would address many existing anomalies at the same time. However, there was a realization that an