CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S SINGLE PLAN 2008-2011 What is the Merthyr Tydfil Children and Young People’s Plan
Children & Young Peoples Plan 2008 - 2011 is a statutory requirement for all local authorities under Section 26 of the Children Act 2004. It sets out the strategic direction for all services to children and young people for a 3-year period from 2008 to 2011.
It outlines the challenges facing Merthyr Tydfil and identifies a number of priorities where services will be focussed to tackle specific need in the borough for children and young people.
The plan is based around the seven core aims, identified by the Welsh Assembly Government, which are that children and young people:
§ Have a flying start in life;
§ Have a comprehensive range of education and learning opportunities
§ Enjoy the best possible health and are free form abuse, victimisation and exploitation
§ Have access to play, leisure, sport and cultural activities
§ Are listened to, treated with respect, and have their race and cultural identity recognised
§ Have a safe home and a community which supports physical and emotional well being; and,
§ Are not disadvantaged by poverty.
How did we write the plan
The Merthyr Tydfil Children and Young People’s Partnership has responsibility for writing the plan. Through a series of consultation workshops, the Partnership received input from over 120 individuals representing 40 organisations from all sectors of provision across the borough. The Partnership used the information gathered from these events to produce the draft plan, which is available on this page.
In addition to this, the Partnership used the results from several consultation events with children and young people to inform the decision-making process
What is in the plan
The plan contains an assessment of the current need in Merthyr Tydfil, the level of existing provision available and a detailed account what changes we need to make in the next three years under each core aim.
The plan also contains the eight priorities identified as being of most importance to children and young people and how we intend to provide services to help meet these:
· Attainment, qualifications and life skills;
· The social inclusion of disabled children and their parents;
· Sexual health of young people;
· Emotional and mental health of vulnerable young people;
· Safety, and well being for the most vulnerable children;
· Children’s enjoyment and social skills as well as increasing physical activity through self directed play;
· Children’s, young people’s and their parents’ influence over the services they receive and over services which are designed for them;
· Homeless Young People’s access to housing and support
Executive Summary
The Partnership Planning Team have produced an Executive Summary of the Children & Young People,s Single Plan 2008 - 2011.
Consultation
The Consultation period lasted for 12 weeks and we received responses from many organisations. The Partnership Planning Team along with Tros Gynnal facilitated a consultation day with children & Young People. You can find details of the day and a copy of the Children & Young People's version of the Plan below.
The consultation period ended on the on July 4th. We would like to thank all that responded to our questionnaire.
What happens next
The Partnership Planning Team will collate all responses and pass them onto the Children and Young People’s Partnership for consideration. The final version of the plan has to be approved by the County Borough Council before July 31st 2008. The Plan will then be published.
Children & Young People's Version of the Plan 2008 - 2011
Having developed a Draft Single Plan, with agreed priorities and actions, it became necessary to present this for final consideration to the children and young people of Merthyr Tydfil. Tros Gynnal were approached in March 2008 to assist the Partnership Planning Team to facilitate appropriate mechanisms for this to happen.
Tros Gynnal worked with members of the Borough-wide Youth Forum to create a simplified version of the Children and Young Peoples Version of the Single Plan Plan and a short DVD highlighting the importance of the Children and Young People’s Single Plan to future provision in Merthyr Tydfil.
A consultation event was facilitated by Tros Gynnal along with the Partnership Planning Team at the Bessemer Hotel on the 3rd June 2008. A Report was then written by Tros Gynnal on the outcomes of the day
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