Agenda item

Officer: Robert Henderson

Key decision: no

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To

1.    Refer the adoption of the Children, Young People and Families Plan to Full Council with a recommendation for approval.

2.    Note the engagement and consultation that has been undertaken to develop this plan with children and young people, in addition to our partners, and organisations working with children and young people in Croydon.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Learning began by thanking everyone who had supported the work of improving Children’s Services including; Eleanor Brazil, Martin Pratt, Di Smith, Ashely Sow and Councillor Shafi Khan. Their commitment to improving services had supported the council’s achievement of being rated ‘Good’ in its latest Ofsted inspection.

The Cabinet meeting was provided with a presentation on the Children, Young People & Families Plan which had the theme of “a place where everyone matters” running throughout it. It was stated that it was integral that the council continued to tackle the challenges experienced to ensure no person was left behind. Members were informed that listening had been at the heart of the development of the Plan; 195 young people had been engaged in the course of over 25 face to face sessions.

It was noted by the Cabinet Member that the importance of recognising and celebrating diversity had been a theme running throughout the meeting that evening. It had been important during the development of the Plan that the final product was accessible and relatable by all with the use of plain English and the removal of acronyms and unnecessary text.

Members noted that there were three outcomes in the Plan and six priorities. Priority 1 (“I feel safe in my home, school and community”) focused on building relationships with families to support the development of safe, happy and caring homes. Priority 2 (“I am supported to do well, and access learning and work opportunities”) focused on ensuring that everyone had access to learning and employment opportunities, with a key focus being to support young people accessing work experience opportunities. Finally, Priority 3 (“I am supported to feel happier and healthier”) would focus on supporting young people to access nature and outdoor space to reduce stress and improve mental health. It was noted that there would be far reaching impacts of the lockdown on young people’s mental health and this would be monitored carefully.

Members were shown a draft of the Plan on a page which had been developed with the principles of accessibility, colour, images of children at different ages, ethnicities and those with disabilities, to ensure it was inclusive for all.

In response to Member questions, the Cabinet Member noted that covid-19 had shone a light on a number of inequalities within society, with child poverty being one such area. It was noted that during this period a number of families had struggled with paying for food and that this needed to be addressed.

The Cabinet Member stated that the council would work with school to carefully look at young people’s EHCPs to ensure the right level of support was being provided and, where appropriate, support levels would be increased to meet their needs.

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

RESOLVED: To

1.     Recommend the adoption of the Children, Young People and Families Plan by Full Council.

2.     Note the engagement and consultation that has been undertaken to develop this plan with children and young people, in addition to our partners, and organisations working with children and young people in Croydon.