Thirty years of caring for Jersey children

If you grew up in Jersey, there's a fair chance you know the name Centrepoint. Maybe you came to us as a child yourself. Maybe a friend did, or your own little ones do now. For more than thirty years we've been part of island life, quietly getting on with the same job we started with. Caring for children, and standing beside the families who love them.

This feels like a good moment to look back at how we got here, and at what has kept us going.

Where it all began

Centrepoint started, as so many good things do, because there was a need. Families in Jersey needed somewhere safe, warm and affordable to leave their children, and someone had to build it. So we did, and we've been building on it ever since.

We're a registered Jersey charity, not a business chasing profit. That has shaped every decision along the way. When you don't have shareholders to please, you can put the money and the care exactly where it belongs, which is straight back into the children. More than thirty years on, that's still what gets us out of bed.

How we've grown

What began as a single helping hand has grown into something much bigger, though it never stopped feeling personal. Today our team looks after children across the island, from babies in our nurseries right through to older children at our clubs.

A few things we're proud of, in plain numbers:

• Around 140 people now work at Centrepoint, and every one of them is here because they love this work.

• We care for more than 600 children each year.

• Our team speaks five languages between them, which says a lot about the families we welcome.

• Eleven minibuses get children out and about, exploring everything the island has to offer.

We've grown, but the heart of it hasn't changed. It's still about the child in front of us, on this ordinary, important day.

The values that have stayed the same

Plenty has changed in thirty years. Buildings, faces, the way we play and learn. But the things we care about most have stayed put. Five values run through everything we do.

• Patience, because children grow at their own pace.

• Passion, because this is a calling, not just a job.

• Open communication, because you should always know how your child is getting on.

• Creativity, because the best days are full of mess, ideas and imagination.

• Respect, for every child and every family, whoever they are.

Those five words aren't a poster on a wall. They're how our team turns up, day after day.

The people behind it all

A charity is only ever as good as its people, and ours are the best part of the story. Over the years, hundreds of carers, play workers, cooks, drivers and volunteers have given their time and their warmth to island children. Some have been with us for decades. Some are just starting out. Many were once children at Centrepoint themselves.

Then there are the families. The parents who trusted us with their first baby, and came back with their second. The grandparents who remember the early days. You are as much a part of this story as we are.

Here for the next thirty

We don't take any of this for granted. Thirty years of caring for Jersey children is a privilege, and we intend to keep earning it. The world keeps changing, families keep changing, and we'll keep growing to meet them, the same way we always have.

Thank you for being part of it. If you'd like to know more about who we are and where we came from, do come and learn more about us.