If you are a child, young person, parent or carer, this plan is for you. It sets out how people who work with you will support you together with the principles and priorities guiding their work.

This is a vitally important document for everyone in Hampshire working with children, young people and their families. You may be a teacher in a school, a volunteer, a police officer, a social worker, a school nurse, - the vision, beliefs and priorities set out in this plan must be yours to own and deliver.

This plan was developed during 2005, and discussions included 12 workshops involving young people and almost 1100 adults from a wide range of organisations. It builds on a great deal of excellent work already taking place across the county. It has been agreed by all the organisations shown in appendix 1.

If you are a child, young person, parent or carer, please:

· ask us about services and the support we can give you

· share your ideas and views with us

· challenge things that don't work for you

· get involved in deciding how services can best be delivered.

We will listen to you. If you are in difficulties we will work with you to try and find solutions with you.

If you work with children and young people you should:

· champion the vision, beliefs and priorities in this plan

· think about how you can make a difference

· take action to make changes (however small)

· reach across organisational boundaries to work with other service providers, creating services that best meet needs, regardless of who delivers them.

"The best way for adults to find out what children think is to be an asking and listening sort of adult."

Younger children's views on ECM, National Event 2005

Vision and beliefs

This vision and beliefs are based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This sets out the basic rights of each child. The full text is at www.unicef.com.

Vision

Everyone offering services to children, young people and their families in Hampshire shares a vision that every child and young person:

· has the best possible start in life and develops to their full potential

· receives an excellent education in preparation for a fulfilled life as an adult

· has their achievements celebrated

· is able to grow and develop in safety and free from discrimination of any sort

· receives the highest possible standard of health care

· is listened to and has their views taken into account

· can easily get the information and support they need to help them, their families and carers take responsibility for their own lives

· is treated with respect, and treats others in the same way

Guiding beliefs

1 The interests of children and young people aged 0 -19 and support to their families and carers must be at the centre of our work at all times.

2 We will actively seek and listen to the views of children, young people and their families and carers. We will involve them in the development and management of services to meet their needs.

3 The safety of children and young people is paramount. We will always take action to secure this.

4 Problems are best prevented. In all our work with children and young people, their families and carers, we will work to recognise need early, prevent things going wrong in the first place and encourage self help and responsibility.

5 Vulnerable children and young people will be identified and will receive additional support and services to ensure they have the best possible chances in life.

6 We know that some children and young people will experience great difficulties. We will not give up on them. In partnership with them we will provide the support and services they need to help them develop to their full potential.

7 Schools and colleges have a very important role to play in ensuring the health, safety, achievement, participation in society and future economic wellbeing of all the children and young people in their care.

8 Everyone providing services to children and young people must work together to maximise the use of the limited resources available. By working together we can achieve things that we could not achieve alone.

Rights, respect and responsibilities

As a result of the Rights, Respect and Responsibilities initiative, children and young people will be aware of their rights under the UN Convention and their responsibility to respect the rights of others.

Many children in schools will have become accustomed to:

· increasingly reflective, courteous and inclusive social relationships in class

· an expectation that school is a place for consensus, dialogue and negotiation.

Children and young people will come to expect:

· adult awareness and support for the rights of the child

· adults modelling rights-respecting behaviours

· to be involved in decisions which effect their lives

· increasing levels of participation in all aspects of their education and care.

How this plan was developed

The people involved

Main group

The main group responsible for the development of this Children and Young People's Plan consists of officers from:

· Community Action Hampshire

· Connexions

· District Councils

· Hampshire Constabulary

· Hampshire County Council

· Hampshire Council for Voluntary Youth Services

· The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Learning and Skills Council

· The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority

· Local Learning and Skills Council

· The 7 National Health Service Primary Care Trusts in Hampshire

· A representative of young people

· Wessex Youth Offending Team

This group is the `we' referred to in this draft CYPP.

Consultation so far

In July and September 2005 12 consultation days were held, one in each of the 11 district council areas of Hampshire, and one with people invited from across the county. A very wide range of organisations were represented at these events including people from the health services, schools, the voluntary sector, district councils and the county council. Each workshop included young people, either from local schools, the local youth council or Connexions.

People at the workshops were asked to suggest the main priorities for the plan, and for their local area. The priorities identified at each workshop were remarkably consistent. They now form the main priorities for this CYPP, with some additional ones for important processes that will help make it all work. Each target priority area in the draft CYPP has been drafted by leads from a wide variety of organisations.

This draft version of the CYPP is now with you again for more formal consultation. It has been sent to the widest possible number of organisations and people for comment. Pass it on if you know others who would like to have their say!

Consultation on this draft

Consultation will include:

· Two conferences for the voluntary sector

· Specific work with children and young people in schools and through activities outside school

· Targeted work with vulnerable groups, through the people best placed to ask for their views.

· Discussion of the draft at senior level within all the main organisations, including schools, with responsibilities for services to children and young people.

· Widespread dissemination of the draft to all staff in the main organisations, including schools, with invitations to comment.

· Discussions at all local strategic partnerships and primary care trust boards.

· Specific invitations to comment sent to everyone who attended the consultation conferences in September.

· Advisers at DfES, GOSE, DOH, Ofsted and CSCI.

Overall priorities and target areas of work

Overall priorities

All children and young people in Hampshire must achieve to their full potential against the 5 main aims of the Children Act. We want them all to be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing.

All organisations who work with children and young people across Hampshire are working together with the following overall priorities.

To ensure:

1 We engage with and listen to children, young people and their families

2 Good and well co-ordinated support and advice for parents and families

3 Excellent general education and healthcare provision

4 The right provision and support for vulnerable children and young people and their families and those who need specialist support

5 Resources are targeted according to need, whether it is geographical or focussed on individual circumstances.

Target areas for improvement

The following table shows where particular attention will be targeted over the coming three years to improve life-chances for the most disadvantaged children and young people in Hampshire and support those most in need or at greatest risk. Everyone working with children in Hampshire can contribute to taking these activities forward. They are set out under the 5 main aims of the Children Act.

Areas targeted to improve outcomes for children and young people

Be healthy

Stay Safe

Enjoy and achieve

Make a positive contribution

Achieve economic well being

Fewer teenage pregnancies and improvements in sexual health

Healthier eating, more physical activity and less obesity

Better mental health and well-being

Reduced substance misuse

Better access to leisure services and recreation

Reduced youth offending

All children and young people stay safe and feel safe

Identification, protection and support for children and young people affected by domestic violence

Fewer children not in school. High quality support for those out of school

Less bullying

Improved life-chances for young carers

Easier access to information on services

More young people volunteering

More positive images of young people in the media

Better range, quality and access to vocational and work related learning for the 14 -19 age group

Better housing arrangements for those in unsuitable accommodation

Better transport options and costs.

Behind the scenes

This vital work supports all the main priorities outlined above.

· Better and more frequent interagency training

· Development of the information sharing process, lead professionals and the common assessment framework across phases and institutions

· Workforce restructuring

· Development of Extended Schools

· Development of Children's Centres

· Development of management information and supporting data streams

· Developments in IT

Making it work

Other plans

The CYPP will act as an `umbrella' for a very large number of important plans across all organisations, including schools. We checked the priorities in the major plans to ensure this draft CYPP covers the main areas it needs to. In the future it will be very important that all plans reflect the priorities in this CYPP. When the final version of the CYPP goes onto the web, it will have links to plans that support its priorities.

As part of this consultation please let us know of any plans you have on the web and which priorities they should link to.

Some of the priorities and processes in this CYPP will need to be managed from a central point of contact. Others require more local innovation and co-ordination to ensure they are progressed.

One of the most effective ways this can happen is for every person in every organisation to think hard about how their work and service can change to align behind these priorities. On a local basis services need to make contact with each other and explore the opportunities that joint working can bring.

Multi-agency and partnership working

All partners to this plan are committed to co-ordinating resource use as effectively as possible to ensure the wellbeing of children and families. Multi-agency services will support all children in the community according to their needs, and work intensively with the most vulnerable to prevent social exclusion. At the heart of their communities, schools and other education providers have an important role to play to achieve this and to offer their communities access to support and facilities.

New technology provides tools to transform the way in which people work, improving effectiveness and efficiency. The information sharing strategy and common assessment framework are examples of the way partner agencies will need to work together to maximise the benefits of IT in support of children and young people.

Staff directly supporting young people are reliant on a range of essential support for themselves. We must work to ensure that these support services are as efficient as possible and thereby maximise the time that front-line professionals spend with young people.

New arrangements for formal partnerships to take forward the Change for Children agenda are currently being planned. The final plan will contain a section on governance and partnership arrangements that reflects the outcomes of these discussions. This will show strong planning and implementation arrangements for this plan across agencies, and with a local feel.

Local strategic partnerships

Over the course of 2006 every district Local Strategic Partnership will be encouraged to develop a local children and young people's action plan to support the local delivery of the priorities in this CYPP. These will be supported by the main local officer leads for each of the main agencies.

The role of early education settings, schools and the further education sector

As the natural focus of the lives of almost all children and young people in Hampshire, these establishments have a vital role to play in taking forward and developing the principles and priorities in this plan. Intervening early to prevent problems developing in a child's life is vital. It is often early years, school or further education staff who are first to sense something is wrong. It is vitally important that they have the skills to intervene, and know where to turn for further support.

The plans and self evaluations of all these establishments should reflect this CYPP. They should use it to challenge their current arrangements and assumptions and to explore whether they are really addressing the 5 main aims of the children act for every one of their children and young people

Resources

There is no new money to help to deliver this plan. To achieve it, all organisations providing services to children and young people in Hampshire will need to align their resources to the plan, and work together to achieve it.

Data and performance indicators

Overall monitoring

The following 12 performance indicators will be monitored by the Children's Services Board as the main outcome measures for children and young people in Hampshire.

· infant mortality rate

· death rate from suicide and undetermined injury

· number of 0-15 year olds injured or killed in road traffic accidents

· half days missed from school through absence

· % of 11 year olds achieving level 4 plus in English and Maths

· % of 14 year olds reaching levels 5 plus in English, Maths, Science and ICT

· % of 16 year olds gaining the equivalent of 5 A*-C GCSE

· educational achievement of looked after children at age 11

· educational achievement of looked after children at age 16

· permanent and fixed term exclusions

· under 18 conception rate

· % of 16-18 year olds in continuing education, employment and training

There are some areas not covered by the list above that ought to be filled when suitable performance indicators have been developed. In the light of further work at county and national level it is proposed to develop and, as resources allow, adopt new performance measures covering:

· % of obese under 11 year olds

· % of 0-15 year olds who state they have been bullied in the last 12 months

· fear of crime and anti-social behaviour in children and young people

· level of youth offending

· young people's engagement in voluntary and community activities

Joint area review and local data sets

Work is already underway to identify the lowest possible level of analysis for each of the 265 performance indicators in the Joint Area Review dataset. This work is also identifying who is responsible for the provision and quality of the data. Some of the data is available at individual postcode level, some at ward level, some for district council areas, and some only for the county as a whole. When this process is completed we will set out reporting arrangements for the provision of data and information on a geographical basis.

Much of this data and associated information is already extensively analysed within individual services, and supports the allocation of resources based upon geographical differences in needs.

Reporting and evaluation process

Progress against this plan will be assessed annually in April/May each year in a report written by, and reported to, all the organisations on the CYPP steering group and future multi-agency boards governing services to children across Hampshire. The evaluation will form a significant part of the evidence we will submit as part of our Joint Area Review self-assessment. It will also contribute to the monitoring of the Local Area Agreement, whose priorities for children and young people are a subset of the ones in this CYPP.

Develop an annual survey of all children and young people based on the JAR survey. Either additional to, or building on the annual survey of school pupils. What other surveys are undertaken that could be rolled into one??

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Hampshire Children and Young People's Plan

Introduction

Vision and beliefs

How this plan was developed

Overall priorities and target areas of work

Making it work