Vision for Child Friendly Telford and Wrekin
A new vision to create a Child Friendly Telford and Wrekin to support the Council’s work to represent the voices, needs and priorities of every child in its policies and decisions, was given the seal of approval at today’s Cabinet meeting.
Members approved Telford & Wrekin Council’s proposals to embed a Child Friendly approach across the Borough to support the delivery of Council’s children and young people’s strategy, which builds on the foundations of back-to-back outstanding Ofsted inspections for children’s social care.
At the heart of the vision will be seven wishes that reflect what children and young people in the borough say they need to thrive, based on feedback the Council has received.
The wishes are that children and young people are healthy, heard, safe, achieving, independent, happy and have friends and people they can trust.
The Council is already delivering a huge number of programmes and projects which have children and young people at their centre, including the newly launched 5 by 5 initiative, which is about supporting children’s readiness for school, 10 by 10, the Leader and Members’ Young Person Grant, family hubs, free swimming, youth clubs, Urban Games and Crucial Crew to name a few.
There are also a number of initiatives where the Council is already working with Borough schools to improve children’s sense of belonging and support young people to be successful in a school in their community.
Child Friendly Telford and Wrekin will be the overarching umbrella for existing and new initiatives as the Council drives its ambition for Telford and Wrekin to be the best place for children to live and grow up.
Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Education, Employment and Skills, said:
“We are a Council that delivers outstanding services for children, but we always want to do more to improve life chances and provide positive outcomes.
“Earlier this year we set out clear objectives in our children and young people strategy, which were approved at cabinet.
“Those objectives were designed to deliver services and actions that ensure the Borough’s next generation have the best possible start in life.
“Child Friendly Telford and Wrekin isn’t another strategy; it will act as an umbrella for everything we do and is the ultimate end goal for every child and young person, that the sevens wishes can come true.”
The vision for a Child Friendly Telford and Wrekin will go to full council later this year for ratification.