Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP)

What is the Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP)?

The CYPP is one of the key plans within Darlington Councils overarching plan - the Council Plan, and it identifies what actions will be taken to help deliver the best start in life for every child living in Darlington.

The CYPP is the shared vision for everyone working with or for children and young people in Darlington. It has been developed following consultation and engagement with children and young people from across the Borough. The CYPP is a partnership plan which shows how organisations and agencies in Darlington will work together collectively to improve outcomes for all children and young people in Darlington.

The organisations involved in supporting this plan meet regularly (as a Steering Group) to talk about what needs to be done to support children and young people living in Darlington. The organisations who are part of this group include:

Darlington Borough Council
NHS partners from the Integrated Care Board, primary care (GPs) and hospital trusts (County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and Tees Esk and Wear NHS Foundation Trust)
Local schools and colleges
Police
Fire Brigade
Parent Carer Forum
Darlington Hippodrome
Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations including Healthwatch, YMCA, Family Action, Blue Cabin, Darlington Mind and Youth Focus North East

We have looked at local information about children and young people and have spoken to children and young people who live in Darlington about what is working well and what needs to be improved. As a result, 5 priorities have been identified.

Our Local Priorities for Children and Young People:

Health (being as healthy as possible)
Education (schools and learning)
Family and carers (life support and growing towards independence)
Employment, training and real opportunities
Darlington (being part of your community, activities and opportunities, and your environment)

What we want to do

Health

What Children and Young People said was important to them

Having good mental health: Being able to talk to people who listen, understand and support you helps
Having a balanced diet, a good night’s sleep and not vaping, smoking or drinking alcohol
Being able to do exercise in whatever way suits you best e.g. the gym, walking, sporting clubs, dancing, swimming
Not focusing on unrealistic health expectations from social media

What we will do

We will effectively manage waiting lists for health appointments especially access to mental health services
We will work with children and partners to continue to improve and develop services that support the health and wellbeing of children and young people
We will ensure the new public health strategy is fully inclusive of children and young people
We will improve opportunities to be physically active in Darlington

The difference this will make

I will know when, where and how to access support if I am physically or emotionally unwell
I will be able to access support and advice when I need it
I will understand what meals and snacks are healthy for me and how dangerous smoking, vaping or drinking alcohol is to my health
I will be able to choose from and access a range of activities either independently or with support to help keep me as active as possible

Education

What Children and Young People said was important to them

Life skills, knowing how to move into adulthood and be more independent from an earlier age
Support for learning and preparation for the future
Variety of subjects and opportunities for practical and extra-curricular learning
Safety, security and relationships
Being happy, no bullying

What we will do

We will work with education settings and partner organisations to support children to be ready to go to school
We will work with education settings and partners through the Inclusion Charter to ensure inclusive, accessible, and appropriate education for all, recognising the importance of being present, engagement, achievement and belonging
We will work with education settings and partners to remove barriers to learning related to child poverty
We will work with education settings to ensure smooth transitions as children and young people progress from early years to post-16 learning

The difference this will make

I will start school with the skills I need to learn and settle in well
I will feel safe, happy and valued in my nursery, school or college
I will enjoy learning and will have good attendance
I will be confident that I have the skills I need to move on to the next phase in my journey to adulthood
I will be able to achieve good qualifications to help me get a good job or move to higher education

Family and carers

What Children and Young People said was important to them

Healthy relationships e.g. friendships, family, school
Recognising that families are all different.
Being loved and cared for and having stability, security, trust, communication, and safety
Being supported when young e.g. food, Wi-Fi, pocket money, shelter
Being supported to becoming independent rather than relying on other people when reaching adulthood

What we will do

We will support schools, education providers, health services and other partners to offer education on healthy relationships
We will work with partners to delivery activities to develop financial social and emotional skills to move towards independence
We will work with partners to make sure that there is a range of services and activities in place that support young people who are entering adulthood
We will make sure children and young people are involved in service development and commissioning activity

The difference this will make

I will know what a healthy relationship is and know how to manage my relationships with different groups of people.
I will be confident that I have the skills I need to move on to the next phase in my journey to adulthood
I will know how to manage money and take care of myself
I will be asked for my views and be able to change and shape services and facilities in Darlington for me and be more involved in local decision making.
My family/carers will be supported to support me achieve my dreams
I will be able to choose where I live, who I live with and will feel supported to live as independently as possible

Employment

What Children and Young People said was important to them

More volunteering, work experience and work opportunities needed from a younger age
Life skills – being able to do things on your own instead of having to relying on anyone else.

What we will do

We will make sure every Darlington school and college has an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors, employers, and other agencies.
We will make sure every Darlington student has first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks.
We will encourage all 16 and 17 year olds to continue in education, employment (with training), or training up until their 18^th birthday to make sure they can access good employment outcomes.

The difference this will make

I will have better support towards finding and keeping a job that interests me
I will know where and how to access information on jobs, courses and volunteering opportunities
I will be confident that I have the skills I need to move on to the next phase in my journey to adulthood

Darlington

What Children and Young People said was important to them

Having a variety of activities that they enjoy. The Dolphin Centre, parks and sports are popular and they enjoy activities such as bowling, shopping, gaming and funfairs as well as groups like Scouts, Brownies & Rainbows.
Having less crime and a calmer, cleaner environment with more nature spaces, more play areas with green spaces and more events for teenagers.
More youth centres and a wider variety of shops/centres e.g. comic shops, gaming centres, youth centres
Safer & better public transport with buses that run after 6.00pm

What we will do

We will work with local clubs and organisations to support all children and young people to access positive activities and opportunities available across Darlington in developing our local offer in the community and during school holidays.
We will make sure activities and events are well advertised using the councils Living Well Darlington website and on the Healthy Darlington website
We will work with local facility providers/schools/community centres/parks to ensure they are open and accessible for young people to enjoy positive activities where they have a safe and inclusive place to go
We will work with local transport providers to make sure public transport is welcoming and accessible for young people.
Offer place based positive activities that focus on areas of need for young people working with families and priority groups to co-design our local offer for young people. We will work on identifying sources of external funding to support this work.

The difference this will make

We will be more aware of what is happening in Darlington.
I will be able to access places and activities in the community where I can make and maintain friendships
I will be able to choose from a variety of activities in Darlington that interest me
I know that staff in youth clubs, leisure centres and shops will understand me and know how to communicate with me
I will be able and supported to use public transport in Darlington
I feel confident to travel safely wherever I want to go