Making London Better for All Children and Young People A Progress Report

Transcription

1 Making London Better for All Children and Young People A Progress Report The Mayor s Children and Young People s Strategy September 2005

2 copyright Greater London Authority September 2005 Published by Greater London Authority City Hall The Queen s Walk London SE1 2AA Enquiries Minicom ISBN Cover photograph credit Pool of London Partnership Photography credits Hayley Madden Pool of London Partnership The photographs used in this report were taken from International Children s Day (November 2004), the launch of the Mayor s Young London Website (June 2005) and the Mayor s free festival for children and young people, Activ8, in Hyde Park on National Play Day (3 August 2005). Design and layout by: John Wilson Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland This document is printed on 75 per cent recycled paper, 25 per cent from sustainable forest management

3 Making London Better for All Children and Young People Mayor of London 3 The Mayor s vision is of an inclusive, fair and healthy city a London where every child is brought up in a safe, happy and secure environment, can benefit from vibrant and cohesive communities and enjoy a built and natural environment which supports their physical and emotional well-being; and where all children are listened to, their rights are respected and their unique contribution and potential is nurtured, recognised and realised.

4 4 Mayor of London Making London Better for All Children and Young People Overview Making London Better for All Children and Young People (January 2004) set out a vision for a more child-friendly London, developed within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Children and Young People s Strategy contained a range of policies and action points to help move this vision towards reality. The strategy framework is shaped by three core themes: reducing poverty and social exclusion promoting inclusion and equality making the case for the delivery of quality services and facilities. Making London Better for All Children and Young People contains 27 policies and 86 action points to improve the welfare, safety, health and participation in decision-making of London s 1.62 million children and young people. The action points largely fall into three categories: delivery area by the Mayor through the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the GLA Group - Transport for London (TfL), Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), London Development Agency (LDA) and London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA); joint delivery through partnership working with government, statutory agencies and the voluntary and community sector; and making the case for legislative or policy change to government and other agencies. This report is a summary. A more detailed version of the progress report is available as Appendix One (see more information section).

5 Making London Better for All Children and Young People Mayor of London 5 Key Achievements This report outlines the good progress to date, at the end of the first full year s delivery of the strategy implementation plan (April 2004 March 2005). The first year priorities have been delivered and medium- and long-term actions are all on target, partly delivered and/or work is ongoing. Many priority action points have been successfully co-ordinated across the GLA and delivered in partnership with the functional bodies and a range of external voluntary and statutory sector agencies. Progress has been made across the vast majority of policies and action points, including children and young people s engagement, guidance and resources for play, cheaper and safer public transport and facilities for walking and cycling. The key achievements of the Children and Young People s Strategy are summarised under a general heading, including participation and engagement of children and young people. The remaining sections relate to the five national outcome areas under the Children Act 2004: Being healthy; Enjoying and achieving; Staying safe; A positive contribution; and Economic well being. These key achievements are summarised below.

6 6 Mayor of London Making London Better for All Children and Young People General including engagement with children and young people The State of London's Children Report (December 2004) sets out the circumstances of London s children s well being, to assess which areas of children s lives are getting better, deteriorated or stayed the same since the first report in The State of London's Children Report (December 2004) sets out the circumstances of London s children s well being in 2004, to enable politicians, policy-makers and professionals to see where the lives of London s 1.62m children and young people are getting better, and what has deteriorated or stayed the same, across London boroughs and compared to the rest of the country, since Nearly 100 delegates from local, regional and national levels of government and children s services met at City Hall in March 2005 to debate the report - key themes included the impact of frequent moving (and mobility) on children s education, social care and health and how to address the gaps in regional data collection, particularly in relation to BME children and inequalities. The Mayor had made the case, during the Children Bill passage, for an independent Children s Rights Commissioner for England with regional structures. Al Aynsley-Green has been appointed to head the Office of the Children's Commissioner. The Mayor launched his new Young London website (June 2005), which has three channels - for children, teenagers and for adults. The Young London website ( was launched in June 2005, with a live chat between the Mayor and pupils from two London schools, covering topics such as bullying, buses and safety. It was developed, with young people s guidance and ideas, to act as a vehicle to help coordinate and publicise children and young people s participation activities and outcomes in and across London; to provide opportunities for interactive engagement on Mayoral policies and strategies; and to offer information on their rights and about organisations that children can turn to for advice, support and protection. The aim is to give children and young people a platform to voice their experiences and concerns about living in London, and help publicise and coordinate engagement and participation activities across London. The website will support a range of GLA group stakeholders, including transport, environment and culture policy teams. The site also provides external links to activities, information and advice from non-gla organisations. Consultation with young people and local participation workers has produced the idea of a 'Young Londoners' Network'. This will bring together existing borough and regional organisations and projects to ensure maximum opportunities for children and young people to have their say about the capital.

7 Making London Better for All Children and Young People Mayor of London 7 The Young Londoners Network was the result of wide consultations that were held with children and young people and with children s consultation projects. This Network will link local and issue based children and young people s networks and groups in London, and act in liaison with borough initiatives on school and youth councils. The GLA group is working together with Government Office for London with the objective that the Network will coordinate London government consultation and engagement with children and young people. A More than Words conference for 200 participation workers was held in June 2005, and a steering group has been formed to develop the plans for the Network up until its launch with children and young people in late The 'Schools Information Packs' for Key Stage 2 and 4 pupils were launched in autumn term 2004, to provide attractive, accessible information for young Londoners about the issues that affect them. (They were produced by the Mayor and the London Assembly.) The Mayor undertook the first major, Young Londoners Survey, through face-to-face interviews with one thousand year olds during summer 2004 on their views on growing up in London. Over 140 children from 16 London boroughs took part in the Children s Fund 'ViewPoints' project, culminating in an exhibition and publication showing how young Londoners view the capital at the Mayor s International Children's Day Conference (20 November 2004).

8 8 Mayor of London Making London Better for All Children and Young People Being healthy The Mayor s Activ8 event in Hyde Park (August 2005), on National Playday, formed part of a strategic aim to improve young Londoners access to leisure, play, sport, culture and the arts. (It was held in partnership with the London Health Commission and London Food.) A London Framework on Emotional Health and Wellbeing for Children and Young People' is being developed through the London Health Commission, with an issues paper produced and conference held to date. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor hosted and addressed the Second European Child in the City Conference (October 2004), which brought together over 200 delegates from 26 countries to share ideas and experiences on planning for child-friendly cities. A Declaration of London by the European Network for Child-Friendly Cities, signed by the Mayor and other European Mayors after this Conference, called for action to address concerns that children living in urban areas today have increasingly less access to space to play. The 'Kids Swim Free' pilot ran in several boroughs during the Easter 2004 holidays, and the scheme continued during the summer, October half term, February half term and Easter school holidays in 2004/ schools have been completed so far by TfL in the Cycle Parking Scheme, with 117 to be completed by mid-2005.

9 Making London Better for All Children and Young People Mayor of London 9 Enjoying and achieving The Mayor s 'Guide to Preparing Play Strategies (May 2005) sets out recommended good practice to Boroughs in the development, preparation and implementation of local play strategies in London. The next phase of work is underway through developing minimum standards for children and young people s play and informal recreation. The Mayor s 'Guide to Preparing Play Strategies Planning inclusive play spaces and opportunities for all London s children and young people' (May 2005) sets out recommended good practice in the development, preparation and implementation of local play strategies in London. Developed in partnership with London Play, the Guide will assist London boroughs in preparing local strategies for children s play provision and to take best advantage of national initiatives and funding. Standards for Play and Informal Recreation represents the second phase of work underway. This will produce additional advice to London boroughs on setting standards for the provision of facilities for play and informal recreation. This innovative research will provide evidence and draft policies for inclusion in the review of the Mayor s London Plan (2005/06) and will also provide advice to boroughs on the application of standards, advice on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and examples of good practice. Following concerns raised by the Mayor and others to government, the Big Lottery Fund announced in March 2005 that there would be a 155 million national programme 'to improve and develop play facilities' in England. Trafalgar Square was turned into a giant playground in August 2004 for National Playday. Over 15,000 children and their families attended the fun event that provided children with the opportunity of enjoying a variety of free play activities. The Mayor s Children and Young People s Unit helped to establish a new regional 'Partnership for Young London' of youth services. Through the LDA, the Mayor has provided 1m funding to the Unicorn Children s Theatre (due to open by Christmas 2005). This new cultural facility will benefit over 100,000 children a year with a high quality programme of theatre and education. The 3rd 'London Schools and the Black Child Conference' was held in September 2004 and a major LDA Education Commission report on the educational experiences of black boys in London ( ) was published in September The GLA has commissioned the London School of Economics to provide

10 10 Mayor of London Making London Better for All Children and Young People an up-to-date report on secondary schools admissions in 2005/06 and to examine how effectively the Pan London School Admissions System is functioning from the perspective of London LEAs. Secondary School Admissions in London is a new research project conducted by the London School of Economics that has been commissioned by the GLA (spring 2005). This will focus on the changes that have taken place in relation to secondary school admissions since the new Department for Education and Skills 'Code of Practice on School Admissions' was introduced (2003). The research will enable comparisons to be made with admissions in 2001, when a research study on secondary school admissions criteria showed greater selectivity by schools in London than in the rest of England. The project aims to provide an up-to-date report on secondary schools admissions criteria and practices. The broader context for this work, as shown in The State of London s Children report, is that London has the highest average levels of pupil mobility in the country and this frequent moving of families within the London population places significant demands on children s services.

11 Making London Better for All Children and Young People Mayor of London 11 Staying safe 'Listen Up London' is a new initiative project set up by Beat Bullying, the Mayor of London, TfL, Chelsea Football Club and Tequila/London to encourage all Londoners listen to children and help stop young people being bullied (to be launched in late 2005). Listen Up London is about all of London saying NO to bullying... by encouraging all of us to take responsibility within our communities and schools and ensure children and young people stay safe. The campaign will encourage teachers, bus-drivers, parents, politicians, dinner ladies and mealtime supervisors, park attendants, governors, councillors, station attendants, families, friends, social workers, London businesses, police officers, youth workers, religious leaders, nurses, doctors... in fact the whole of London - to listen up and support young people being bullied. Winners of the Listen Up London campaign will be involved in transforming their idea into an extensive media campaign that will be all over London and on the TV and Radio. Further information about the campaign is available at: The Mayor, MPS, London Child Protection Committee and Barnardo's are convening a roundtable seminar (October 2005), to analyse strategic issues of pan-london sexual exploitation of children, and develop actions for improvements. Independent research was commissioned by TfL to investigate the disproportionate number of child pedestrian road casualties from black African and Caribbean communities. TfL is implementing an action plan on its recommendations, which supported the 2005 Don't Die Before You've Lived advertising campaign. Improving road safety was a key priority in the Mayor's Guidance for Transport Strategy Local Implementation Plans for Boroughs (2004), with a particular children s focus by TfL on currently investing over 7m a year in new 20mph schemes in residential areas. By the end of 2004, child fatal or serious casualties were 48% below the average (virtually meeting the 50% reduction target by 2010) and the Mayor is now consulting the boroughs on raising this target to 60%. TfL has developed a multi-modal, Safety and Citizenship initiative, managed by London s Transport Museum, aimed at promoting safety and citizenship to school children and social inclusion. Working groups of the London Parks and Green Spaces Forum are collaborating to identify and share good practice to improve accessibility and safety for children and young people (including development of guidance for parks staff working with children).

12 12 Mayor of London Making London Better for All Children and Young People A positive contribution To help improve children s safety, and prevent crime and bullying, the MPS and TfL have agreed for Police Community Support Officers to travel on buses, a policy now being explored for Wardens. Street Crime Warden Schemes, in 13 London boroughs, provide a high visibility presence in "hot-spot" crime areas. In some boroughs, they are providing alternative activities for local youth, such as summer cycle workshops, working closely with local youth workers and have set up Junior Warden Schemes. Borough-level and Londonwide data on children and young people as victims, not just as perpetrators, of crime are now being collected by the MPS and Government Office for London s quarterly youth crime bulletin includes analysis of victimisation of children and young people (0-17). The action plan of the MPS Safer Neighbourhoods Strategy for 2005 includes activities to train local anti-social behaviour lead officers on children's rights. The Deputy Mayor convened an expert seminar in June 2005 to identify ways of reducing the number of young people under 18 held in detention in London, focused on the London implications of Nacro s A Better Alternative Reducing Child Imprisonment report.

13 Economic well-being A Childcare Affordability Programme for London has been agreed between the Mayor/LDA and the government, and was included in the Chancellor s Pre-Budget Statement and the government s Ten-Year Childcare Strategy. TfL has implemented the Mayor s manifesto commitment to introduce free bus and tram travel for 14 and 15 year olds from September 2005, with a major marketing campaign over summer The Mayor s policy of free bus and tram fares for under 16 yearolds in London was launched in June 2005, to encourage young people to use public transport and help to continue London s move away from car journeys. It should also cut congestion, pollution and accidents by reducing the school run. Currently under-11s travel free on London s buses and trams. This will be extended to all children under-16 starting in the new academic year, 2005/06. Polls conducted by the GLA show that 80 per cent of Londoners support free fares for under-18s in full-time education. (Free bus and tram fares for 16 and 17 year-olds will be introduced for the 2006/07 academic year). The under-16s scheme will help hundreds and thousands of families in London by improving young people s access to education, sport and leisure. For more information, visit A comprehensive research report, 'Offering more than they borrow' was published by the GLA in April This report presents what is known about refugee children in London and identifies an agenda for action for all three levels of government in London. The draft 2005 London Housing Strategy (July 2005) covers issues including young homeless people, including refugees and asylum seekers. The GLA Housing and Homelessness Unit is a partner in a two-year project called 'Working Future' (to be completed in 2007), the key aim of which is to assist homeless families into work or training, with key impacts on child poverty. Through the Mayor s responses to many Government consultations on the Every Child Matters programme, Children and Young People s Unit has provided evidence to make the case for improved policies and services in London.

14 14 Mayor of London Making London Better for All Children and Young People Next steps The Mayor s Children and Young People s Strategy is a ten-year plan to make London a better city for children and young people. In Year Two (April 2005 March 2006) of the strategy, the priorities will include: Improving opportunities for children and young people to have a wider say in decision-making across the GLA and the GLA group. Monitoring the implementation of the Mayor s Guide to Preparing Play Strategies and developing minimum standards for play and recreation within new developments. Responding to the government consultation on Youth Matters, the green paper on the future of youth services in England, and demonstrating good practice in the GLA Group. Influencing the delivery of the regeneration agenda, including young people s involvement in the 2012 Olympics. Monitoring the impact of the Every Child Matters reforms in London. The policies and action points of the strategy will be reviewed in 2006/07. This will involve a further progress report and stakeholder and public consultation on any proposed changes. This review will be required because of the need to reflect a range of internal and external developments, including: Greater national and regional concerns about the effects of frequent moving and mobility among children and families in London. Impact at Londonwide and Borough levels of the largest set of legislative changes in children s services for thirty years following the Children Act New models and ways of working across Londonwide agencies to plan strategy and delivery for the new Change for Children programme. Completion of the reviews of two, Mayoral statutory strategies the London Plan and Transport Strategy in 2005/06 and 2006/07 respectively. Appendix One of this report is a detailed grid of progress against all action points in the strategy (22 pages).

15 Making London Better for All Children and Young People Mayor of London 15 More information Further information on many of the documents or initiatives described in this report is available on the main GLA website. For more regular updates on the Mayor s work on children and young people s issues, please see quarterly e-bulletins issues of Capital Child on the website and also view the new Young London website at for information on activities and involvement of children and young people. To receive a copy of the Appendix or the original strategy documents, in full, summary, leaflet or child-friendly versions: visit our website at call minicom visit City Hall and ask at the Visitor Centre on the Lower Ground Floor

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