Cardiff announced as UK’s first 'child friendly' city

Cardiff was recognised by Unicef UK for the work the council and other agencies have done to improve services, facilities and access to support for children and young people in the Welsh capital. 

The programme is part of Child Friendly Cities - a global Unicef initiative launched in 1996 that reach more than 30 million children in over 40 countries - which was established to improve children's rights.

• Practice example: Cardiff’s digital skills help boost engagement

• Feature: Making towns child friendly

Cardiff Council has been part of the programme since 2017 and has worked with young people in six key areas, including:

• Cooperation and Leadership

• Communication

• Culture

• Health

• Family and Belonging

• Education and Learning.

The city implemented schemes and projects to ensure that young people had the best life outcomes, which led to impressive results, including the fact that 42,254 children and young people were able to access early help and support since April 2019 via the new Family Support Gateway.

John Sparkes, chief executive of the UK committee for Unicef, said: “Becoming the first UNICEF Child Friendly City in the UK is a testament to the significant commitment and hard work that has taken place by the council and its partners over the past five years. It also marks a promise to Cardiff’s children and young people – that the council will continue to make sure children’s voices are at the heart of local decisions.”

Young people have been involved in participation at many levels, as over 700 opportunities were made available to children and young people to participate in decision-making at Cardiff Council. Additionally, more than 2,861 children have accessed over 90 free extra-curricular activities through The Passport to the City initiative.

Councillor Huw Thomas, Cardiff Council Leader, said: “Through the shared ambition of other public services, extensive work has been carried out to ensure that Cardiff is a place where all children and young people, regardless of belief, ethnicity, background or wealth are safe, healthy, happy and able to share in the city’s success with equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents.”

This news comes after youth services in Cardiff have increased their reach by creating digital youth hubs with the help of young people in the city.