Working together, for the best start in life
20 Dec 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Northumberland has officially launched its new children and young people’s plan - setting priorities for youngsters in the county to 2022 and beyond.
The plan sets out a vision for Northumberland as ‘a place where meeting the needs of children, young people and families is the focus - so that they get the best out of life’.
It has been developed by a partnership of Northumberland County Council, NHS health organisations, the police, and schools, who all sit on the Northumberland Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership.
Teams have worked closely with young people from across the county in developing the plan, and over 1,700 children and young people have been involved in saying what they would like to see in their futures.
Engagement with young people showed that there are many things that are important to them, but the plan focuses in on those that came out as top priorities. It identifies these as:
- Children and young people knowing that their voice will influence decisions that affect them;
- Children and young people having the ‘best start in life’;
- Ensuring that all services work together towards tackling any form of disadvantage;
- Children and young people having access to the best quality education to prepare them for adult life;
- Children and young people feeling safe and supported and able to cope with life’s ups and downs; and
- Promoting and supporting children and young people to be healthy.
The section about each priority in the plan shows what children and young people have said, how things are now, the partnership’s ambitions, how these will be achieved, and how things should look by 2022.
Some of the young people who were involved in developing the plan met with members of the Northumberland Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership at County Hall in Morpeth this week to help mark its official launch. Further events and activities linked to the plan will follow.
Cllr Wayne Daley, cabinet member for children’s services at Northumberland County Council said: “This plan sets out the partnership’s hopes and ambitions and a shared vision for the future for young people in Northumberland.
“Launching the plan is only the start of course, and now the work on acting on what our young people have told us really begins.
“The priorities in this plan will run through everything that the council and our partner agencies do to support young people in Northumberland.
“We all need to work together to understand the challenges children face, acknowledge their hopes and wishes, and make the most of every resource we have at our disposal, to give them the best possible childhood and opportunities while they live in this special and unique county.”
The main partners in the Northumberland Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership are: Northumberland County Council, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Northumbria Police, Northumberland Strategic Safeguarding Partnership; and schools across Northumberland.
You can see the full plan on our website here.