Children 'confined in solitary'

Simon Bellwood was in charge of Greenfields secure unit

A former Jersey care home manager has told a tribunal how he stopped a policy of locking children in solitary confinement.

Simon Bellwood was sacked as manager of Greenfields secure unit in May 2007 after 10 months in charge.

A Jersey employment tribunal heard he abolished the so-called "grand prix" system and believes he was dismissed for criticising it.

He is claiming unfair dismissal against the States of Jersey.

Staff 'grumbled'

The tribunal heard that the "grand prix" system had been introduced at Greenfields by Joe Kennedy, the manager of residential and care services in Jersey.

It made solitary confinement a tool for dealing with everyday behaviour problems.

Mr Bellwood said he replaced it with a system of incentives based on one used in a secure children's home he had worked at in Essex.

He said Mr Kennedy dismissed the new system as not providing "meaningful consequences" for bad behaviour.

"I wasn't under any illusion as to what he was referring to," Mr Bellwood told the hearing in St Helier.

"This stems back to the fact that his system would lock them (the children) in solitary confinement, and that would be a 'meaningful consequence'."

Senior staff and children at the home had been enthusiastic about the new policy, he said, but some had grumbled that they no longer had the power to lock children up when they were unruly.

Mr Bellwood said his relationship with Mr Kennedy became unworkable after Mr Kennedy suggested a candidate who had come fourth in an assessment should be promoted.

He said: "Mr Kennedy appeared to want to undermine everything I was doing and take back responsibility for running the unit."

Mr Bellwood's case is not connected to the ongoing investigation into child abuse allegations at the Haut de la Garenne children's home.

The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday.