Background

In 2003, the Government published a green paper alongside the formal response to the report into the death of Victoria Climbié, the young girl who was horrifically abused and tortured, and eventually killed by her great aunt and the man with whom they lived. This green paper was called Every Child Matters.

The green paper provoked considerable debate about how best to provide services for children, young people and their families. One of the key points that came out of this was that providers of services for children and young people should be working together more effectively

The passing of the Children Act in 2004 created a duty on every local authority to produce a single plan for all local services for children and young people. This Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) is an attempt to provide more integrated and effective services.

The CYPP will address areas where the lives of children and young people need to be improved, and how and when this will be achieved. The plan will have implications for any services affecting children – not just schools and youth services, but also children’s social services, housing, transport, regeneration, leisure services and health services (among others). From a practical point of view, the CYPP means closer, joint working between departments and outside agencies to provide services focused on the specific needs of children and young people.

Although the responsibility for producing the plan has been given to local authorities, guidance from the Government outlines a number of key partners with whom the authority must work to produce the CYPP. These include those with a statutory duty to cooperate under the Children’s Act (including local primary care trusts, the police and probation services), and other stakeholders such as schools, colleges and the voluntary and community sectors.

The consultation process

From the very start, it was agreed that the key elements of the plan – the vision, principles and priorities – should be consulted on with as wide a range of groups as possible. A two-month consultation period was established, running from 1 September 2005 – 31 October 2005 (although some events extended beyond the deadline to ensure that interested parties weren’t excluded). 

A number of different approaches were used, tailored to reach different groups in the most effective way. It was recognised that not all methods would be appropriate for all audiences. A distinction was also made between consultation with children and young people (and their parents and carers in the case of the under-5s) and consultation with adults, with the methods used altered accordingly.

Over 7000 representatives from a variety of organisations were involved in contributing their views – ranging from schools to voluntary groups; from social workers to health professionals; from youth justice services to careers advisers. More significantly, almost 6000 children and young people told us what their priorities for action were. Ranging from 4-19 years old, these children and young people were clear and consistent in their messages: we need to reduce bullying, help them feel safe and support then in having a healthy lifestyle.

Our plan for Wakefield District

Our plan provides a clear statement of the vision and priorities for children and young people in the Wakefield District. It demonstrates the commitment and ambition of all agencies to make the District a place where parents and carers want their children and young people to live, grow up and fulfil their potential. The plan sets out a challenging programme which is informed by the views of children, young people and key stakeholders.  

Importantly, it builds upon strong partnerships and existing innovative and good practice. We are determined to become a beacon of best practice by learning lessons from others and placing the well-being and needs of all children and young people at the centre of the development of children’s services across the Wakefield District.  

The national framework for change is based on the five outcomes which children and young people have said are central to their wellbeing in childhood and later life:

• being healthy;
• staying safe;
• enjoying and achieving;
• making a positive contribution;
• achieving economic well-being.

In meeting these five outcomes, our vision is that children and young people will feel and be:

● Safe
● Supported
● Fulfilled.

Downloads 

Follow the links under 'Downloads' to view the full version of the plan or the summary document. A number of other documents are also available, including the summary of the consultation process and PowerPoint presentations giving more details about the development of the Children and Young People’s Plan. For organisations wanting to assess how they meet the priorities in the plan, a self-assessment tool can also be downloaded. Action plans to support the priorities are in development and will be included as they become available.

There are also PowerPoints to support the plan.  If you would like a copy please request one by using the link below.