The St Helena Government (SHG) is launching a public consultation on a proposed Welfare of Adults Ordinance, the first St Helena law designed specifically to underpin the assessment and safeguarding of adults on the island.
The consultation will run for six weeks, from 27 October to 8 December 2026. Over that time, we will highlight key aspects of the proposals. Everyone is invited to respond, including families caring for loved ones, adults who need or may need care and support, voluntary and community groups, health and social care professionals, and anyone with a view on how St Helena should protect and support its most vulnerable people.
Why is a new law needed?
Children have been protected by the Welfare of Children Ordinance since 2008, but adults have no equivalent St Helena law. Adult social care relies on a 1990 UK Act, since replaced in the UK by the Care Act 2014, which was never designed for a small, remote island and sets standards St Helena cannot realistically meet. Local policies provide guidance but carry no legal force. As a result, there is no legal duty to assess adults in need, no legal rights for carers, no statutory Safeguarding Adults Board and no statutory right to independent advocacy.
Need is also growing. SHG’s Ageing Demographic Situational Analysis (November 2025) shows that St Helena has the second highest old-age dependency ratio in the world, after Japan, and that deaths (50–60 a year) far exceed births (under 20). Informal family support is declining, and around 90 residential care beds could be needed by 2036, double the current capacity of the Community Care Centre.
What is being proposed?
The recommended approach is a Welfare of Adults Ordinance adapted from the Falkland Islands’ Assessment and Safeguarding of Adults Ordinance 2020, a law already in force in a British Overseas Territory of comparable size and remoteness. It would include:
- a duty on Government to promote adult wellbeing;
- a duty to assess adults who appear to need care and support, and carers who need support, with written care plans reviewed at least annually;
- a legal duty to make enquiries where abuse or neglect is suspected;
- a statutory Safeguarding Adults Board, and Safeguarding Adults Reviews where things go seriously wrong;
- a right to independent advocacy for adults who find it hard to take part in decisions about their care; and
- written decisions with reasons, a right to request reconsideration, a right of appeal to the Supreme Court, and an accessible complaints procedure.
The law would not promise unlimited services. Eligibility for Government-funded care would be set out in regulations, taking account of the island’s resources and the support available from family and community. It would not take responsibility away from families but recognise and support the role they already play. No final decisions have been made, and this is a genuine opportunity to shape the law before it is drafted.
How to share your views
The consultation paper is available at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/public-consultation/. Hard copies of the paper and response form are available at the Public Library and the Post Office. You can answer as many or as few of the twelve questions as you wish; no knowledge of law or policy is needed, as we want to hear about your experience and views.
The consultation closes at 16:00 on Tuesday 8 December 2026. All responses received will be considered, and a summary will be published afterwards.
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