Wakefield District Children and Young People’s Plan 2025 to 2028

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the production of this plan. Special thanks to those groups and organisations who have directly taken part in the engagement work to help shape and co-produce this plan.

The Partnership Board on its own cannot make the plan a success and because of this, it works closely with other boards and partnerships across the district, who help deliver what the plan says it wants to achieve. It is also aligned to the Wakefield District All-Age Plan.

A report is produced four times per year to share with children and young people on progress to date via the Wakefield Families Together website: Our Vision – Wakefield Families Together.

It is important we look back at what we achieved working together during the last 3 year plan. Here are just a few examples:

You said: We want to overcome digital poverty and make a positive difference to the climate

We did:

• launched 21 WFConnect Cafés across the District, to help ensure everyone has access to technology and 12 libraries where children and young people can get online
• £2m funding secured to switch council buildings from using gas boilers to renewable energy 
• planted 60,000 trees and changed the way parks, greenspaces and countryside are looked after to help nature recover and thrive

You said: We would like to receive support to live a healthy life

We did:

• introduced Mental Health Support Teams to provide and enable emotional wellbeing support in all Wakefield schools 
• increased the number of children and young people who receive early intervention so that they don’t need CAMHS, this has helped us to minimise waiting times for emotional and mental wellbeing services 
• Happy Healthy Holiday activities took place over summer 2024. This included 56 providers across 78 venues with 22,331 places booked

You said: We want more support and safer outdoor spaces

We did:

• created a Be Water Wise campaign highlight the dangers open water swimming and how to help somebody who is in danger 
• created Safe Zones in the district where you can access support by visiting a venue with a Safe Zone sticker in the window now included in the 28 Hate Crime Reporting Centres across the district 
• held 1,772 ‘Team Around’ meetings, with 71% of parents knowing where their local family, and youth hub is and trained over 200 practitioners in how to identify and respond to neglect
• Happy Healthy Holiday activities took place over summer 2024. This included 56 providers across 78 venues with 22,331 places booked

You said: We want to see individuality celebrated

We did:

• the ‘Wakefield Where We Are’ project, which showcased individuality through creativity. Supported by the Youth Association, Wakefield Museums and Castles and the British Museum. Exhibited in Wakefield One 
• children and young people co-produced a Respect Charter to help make sure people are accepted for who they are
• Happy Healthy Holiday activities took place over summer 2024. This included 56 providers across 78 venues with 22,331 places booked

You said: We want educational outcomes to improve for all

We did:

• School Ofsted inspection outcomes improved from 81.6% in September 2022 to 88.7% in February 2024 
• The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) grading had a good level of development at 68%, 1% higher than the national average 
• Young Carer Champions in all the District’s primary and secondary schools, have an advisory role in the Team Around the School (TAS) process

We want all children and young people from all backgrounds to be ambitious and be encouraged by where they live to achieve. Part of what is included across the following pages aims to tackle the differences some children and young people experience.

As a Partnership Board over the next 3 years, we will show you how progress has been made, by keeping you updated.

Children and young people are happy, healthy, safe, resilient and hopeful for their future.

This is what we know

• most children and young people say they feel safe in the area where they live 
• some children and young people feel scared because of bullying 
• children and young people say they are spending more time online 
• smoking by parents is the most common factor seen which could be changed when a child has died 
• all children’s homes which are ran by the Council’s Children and Young People’s Services are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted

This is what children and young people have told us:

This is what we plan to do about it

• children and young people to have access to good quality programmes which can educate on safety across lots of different areas 
• reduce smoking by parents 
• those who work or volunteer with children and young people access good quality learning on the best ways to safeguard and support children across lots of different areas 
• all services who work or volunteer with children, young people and families sign up to the Respect Charter 
• ensure that children and young people who learn away from school can access support outside of their home if they need to

This is what we know

• emotional and physical well-being continues to be important to children and young people and they want access to support in different ways 
• children and young people in Yorkshire and the Humber are more likely to have experienced tooth decay when compared to children living in other areas of the country 
• some children and young people are living with being overweight or obesity 
• continuing decline in children and young people drinking alcohol and smoking 
• increasing trend in children and young people who vape

This is what children and young people have told us:

This is what we plan to do about it

• increase and promote free and affordable healthy activities across the district for children and young people 
• continue to build upon the existing children and young people’s mental health and well-being support offer 
• raise awareness amongst children and young people of the health risks in relation to gambling, vaping and drug use 
• provide an offer of support for children and young people who experience bed poverty 
• promote parent and carer healthier choices support including sleep, oral health hygiene, nutrition, exercise, addiction and health in pregnancy

This is what we know

• overall, children and young people achieve in school to a similar level as the national average 
• children and young people of secondary school age who are absent and persistently absent from school is a similar level as the national average, with primary school aged children slightly higher 
• more children and young people are being home educated than in 2022 when the last plan was created 
• increasing number of children and young people being permanently excluded from school locally, in line with national increases 
• increasing national trend of children starting reception who are not school ready

This is what children and young people have told us:

This is what we plan to do about it

• work towards identifying and supporting children and young people at an earlier point when presentations of SEND are suspected, putting reasonable adjustments in place sooner 
• improve the availability of translation and interpretation support for children and young people whose first language is not English 
• make stronger links with our home education community, helping to make sure those children, young people and their families are supported 
• raise awareness of the Young Carer’s Cards in schools and check schools are responding to them correctly 
• talk to schools’ individual School Councils to check children and young people are involved in helping to shape school rules

This is what we know

• most children and young people are planning to get a job and/or continue with further education after finishing at school or college 
• most children and young people are optimistic or very optimistic about their job prospects in the future 
• high number of children and young people say they see their future outside of the Wakefield District when they are an adult 
• social opportunities are lacking for some children and young people who feel less confident or socially anxious, lack social experiences and time to practice their skills for adulthood 
• some children and young people feel there are not many things to do in the district

This is what children and young people have told us:

This is what we plan to do about it

• increase the range of apprenticeships and paid work experience opportunities across the district 
• voice of children and young people to continue to be included in new plans and where decisions are being made 
• support for all children and young people in preparation for adulthood 
• SEND awareness training for all who work or volunteer with children and young people, along with awareness for children and young people themselves 
• make sure children and young people are digitally included and have opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and experience in using technology

The data tells us there are positive changes being made to the areas that children and young people tell us are important to them.

The Wakefield Families Together support offer continues to meet the needs in the areas children and young people have said are important to them, so they are able to access the right support at the right time.

For further information on the plan visit www.wakefieldfamiliestogether.co.uk.