Unicef and councils involve young people in shaping services
Neil Puffett
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Children and young people are to be involved in designing and delivering services aimed at them through a partnership between Unicef UK and six local authorities.
The Child Rights Partners project aims to put child rights at the heart of public services and will prioritise improving services for the most vulnerable children, including those living in care, living in poverty and young people affected by drug and alcohol misuse.
Over three years, the six councils spread across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will work with young people to tackle different problems. These include:
- Tower Hamlets will involve young people in designing substance misuse services
- Derry will focus on arts, sports and positive play
- Glasgow will focus on two service areas: developing a rights-based approach to services for care-leavers and early years
- Leeds will improve service provision for looked-after children, ensuring that their entire journey through the social care system is rights-based
- Neath and Port Talbot will focus on vulnerable families where the parents have drugs and alcohol, domestic violence and mental health issues
- Newcastle will adopt a rights-based approach to tackling child poverty
David Bull, executive director of Unicef UK, said: “Public services have sometimes failed children and young people by not listening to their opinions and needs, so we welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with these pioneering local authorities.
“They have committed, in economically difficult times, to take a hard transformative look at the services they deliver to the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.
“By putting child rights into public services in a tangible way, we hope to show we can radically change practice – and therefore outcomes – for the UK’s children and young people.”
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “We are convinced that adopting a rights focus towards children will help us to achieve better outcomes, improve lives and get even better value for money.
“We look forward to being part of this ground-breaking project, which will make a real difference to the lives of young people.”
