Priorities for the county’s children agreed by Council’s Cabinet
Herefordshire Council's cabinet has commended the children and young people's plan for approval by full council. This three year plan sets out how services and organisations can work together to help the county's children and young people be healthier, safer, perform well at school, enjoy life and be good citizens.
The plan has been put together by Herefordshire's Children's Trust and spells out the priority areas that services for children and young people need to concentrate on over the next three years. It brings together the work of schools, health services, the council, police, youth offending services, Connexions and other groups who work with children in a comprehensive strategic plan. This plan stipulates what the priorities are, what actions are needed to tackle the priorities and how successes will be measured.
Some of the county's main priorities include improving the emotional health of children so that they do not become involved in risk-taking activities such as substance misuse including alcohol, drugs and cigarettes. Tackling obesity and dental decay in the county is also a key priority area.
Other issues include reducing bullying in and out of school, and raising awareness of how to use the internet safely. Improving educational attainment to ensure children and young people get the best start in life and move on to good jobs are also key areas, as well as providing more positive activities outside of school.
Councillor Jenny Hyde, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "This plan has been put together by all the organisations involved in delivering services for children across the county. It has been consulted on widely and amended to incorporate as many views as possible. In particular we have been delighted to receive feedback and challenge from the Shadow Board of the Children's Trust which is made up of young people aged 11 years and older.
"Our vision is to achieve the very best for all our children and young people by ensuring all those involved with them work effectively together to improve their life chances. Once the plan has been considered and approved by full council it will be published, implemented and monitored to make sure that collectively, the actions bring about real changes for our children and young people."
