Working together to reach your goals Buckinghamshire Children and Young People s Trust Buckinghamshire Children and Young People s Plan 2009 2011
Children and Young People s Trust Members: Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Chiltern District Council, South Bucks District Council, Wycombe District Council, Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust, Buckinghamshire Hospital Trust, Buckinghamshire Local Safeguarding Children Board, National Probation Service, Thames Valley Police Authority, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Connexions, Learning and Skills Council, Voluntary Sector, Buckinghamshire Further Education Colleges, All Buckinghamshire Maintained Schools
Welcome To The Buckinghamshire Children And Young People s Plan We are pleased to introduce the Children and Young People s Plan for 2009 2011. The Children and Young People s Plan is the single, strategic plan for all services affecting children and young people. The main organisations working with children and young people in Buckinghamshire have come together to produce a Plan. The Plan explains what we will do to make sure that every child and young person can: Be Healthy Stay Safe Enjoy and Achieve Make a Positive Contribution Achieve Economic Well-being The experiences and chances that Buckinghamshire children and young people have will shape their lives. Listening and acting on the voice of our children and young people is central to the planning and delivery of services in Buckinghamshire. We have worked closely with children, young people and families to find out what they want from our services and we will take action to address the matters they have raised. The Plan takes account of legal requirements and guidance for Children s Services and includes a thorough review of local needs. It does not include everything we will be doing, but concentrates on the priorities and actions which we believe will make the biggest difference to children and young people in Buckinghamshire. One of our strengths is the way organisations work together across the county. We share the determination to provide high quality services that give children and young people the best possible chances in life, especially those at risk. Marion Clayton Lead Member for Children s Services Sue Imbriano Strategic Director for Children s Services
Introduction The Children and Young People s Plan shows how Buckinghamshire services for children and young people are acting on the requirements of Children Act 2004 1. It takes account of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 2, which links to the goals of the Every Child Matters programme 3 : Being Healthy Enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle Staying Safe Being protected from harm and neglect and growing up able to look after themselves Enjoying and Achieving Getting the most out of life and developing broad skills for adulthood Making a Positive Contribution To the community and to society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour Economic Well-being Not being prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential in life The Plan meets the requirements of the Government s Children and Young People s Plan Guidance 2009. 13 The Plan also links to other initiatives like: 4 Buckinghamshire s Local Area Agreements 5 The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 Buckinghamshire Strategic Partnership Sustainable Communities Strategy 6 Buckinghamshire Strategic Partnership Health Communities Strategy National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity Services 7 8 Choosing Health: Making healthy choices easier 9 Healthy Lives, brighter futures Government strategy about children s health 10 New Opportunities Fair Chances for the Future (Government White Paper) 11 The Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Bill 12 Ending Child Poverty making it happen Aylesbury Vale Young People s Action Plan Aylesbury Vale District Council Arts, Sports and Play Plan Aylesbury Vale District Council 2012 Olympic Action Plan Chiltern District Council Community Cohesion Plan (2009-2012) Wycombe District Council Plan South Bucks District Council Plan
All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them. Earvin Magic Johnson
The Buckinghamshire Children And Young People s Trust The Children and Young People s Plan is the responsibility of all those in Buckinghamshire who provide services for children and young people from 0 19 years, or up to 24 years for those leaving care or with learning difficulties. It is the basis of our commissioning priorities for Buckinghamshire. The role of the Children and Young People s Trust is: To focus on the child, the parent and the family To lead change across Buckinghamshire by ensuring a professional understanding between services and organisations To plan and ensure that the right services are provided, where they are needed. Commissioning means arranging for appropriate services to be provided to a group or to an individual. The processes involved are complex particularly when meeting the needs of a local population. Commissioning is the process for identifying local needs and finding the best provider to offer services which meet those needs. The Buckinghamshire Children and Young People s Trust was set up in 2006 to coordinate all of the services that support children and young people in Buckinghamshire Health, Education, Police, Councils, Voluntary Organisations such as charities, and many other organisations. These services join up through the Trust to plan and work together. They meet regularly and are changing to a different way of working based on a commissioning model. The Children and Young People s Trust Board members are responsible for making sure that their organisation plays a full part in supporting the work of the Trust. This includes taking action as part of the delivery of the Children and Young People s Plan. This is their vision: Vision For Children And Young People s Services In Buckinghamshire The lives of children and young people can be changed for the better through the use of local services and initiatives provided by many different organisations working together in partnership. The Buckinghamshire Children and Young People s Trust has worked with children, young people and their families to create a shared vision for children and young people in the county.
Children and Young People s Trust Vision Statement This vision has come from the professionals working with children, young people and their families. In Buckinghamshire we want all our children and young people to have the best start in life and to be able to lead safe, healthy and fulfi lling lives, and to be able to make a positive contribution to their communities and to society. Our aim is to ensure access to a range of universal services as well as developing more targeted services to meet their specialist needs. Children and young people have also told us what is important to them. This is what children said As children in Buckinghamshire we want to feel safe and we want to be healthy. To be safe we need more safe routes to school and we would also like to feel safe when we are walking around. Also, lots of children don t want to go to school because they don t feel safe and we would like more security and CCTV in all schools so none of us get injured. Another way to help children is healthy living. We would like more activities before and after school to stop kids from just sitting around in the house. We would be thankful if we had more sports equipment to help us keep in shape. We could also do with more activities to keep adults healthy. Finally, we would like our parents not to work so hard to pay the bills so that we could spend more time with them. Young people made this statement As young people living in Buckinghamshire we want a safe and friendly community. There should be something for everyone to do and get involved in. Good and affordable transport should be available allowing us the freedom to get around. Young people should have the right to have their say and be listened to.
Understanding Buckinghamshire Population of Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire has a population of around 479,000 people living in 188,000 households. Children and young people (0 19) make up about a quarter of Buckinghamshire s population 125,900 persons (26%). 94,000 children aged 0 15, registered with a GP, were made up of 14 : 35,000 25,000 15,000 5,000 0-4 5-9 10-15 Childrens Ages (years) (Therefore, about 31,000 children and young people are either aged 16 19 or are not registered with a GP). The population is expected to grow to about 530,000 people by 2026. It is estimated that there will be more people over 65 and those aged 0 19 years will reduce from 26% to 22% of the total. 42% of families in households have dependent children. In some areas this figure is as low as 30% or as high as 57%. Of those households with dependent children, over 60% contain two or more children. 75% of all households with children are headed by married couples; 18% are headed by lone parents and 7% are headed by co-habiting couples.
District Populations There are four Districts in Buckinghamshire Area Total Population 0 19 year old population % Aylesbury Vale 174,100 45,000 26% Chiltern 90,800 23,300 26% South Bucks 64,300 15,900 25% Wycombe 161,400 41,800 26% Buckinghamshire 490,600 125,900 26% Source: 2007 Mid-Year Population Estimates Aylesbury District The ethnic mix of the whole population varies across the Districts. People from a White ethnic group make up 92% of the population in Buckinghamshire. Wycombe District has the highest proportion of non-white population (12.1%), followed by South Bucks (6.6%), Aylesbury Vale (5.9%) and Chiltern (4.5%). The Asian group is the highest non-white population across all Districts (4.6% of the whole population). Mixed and Black ethnic groups account for 1.3% each, whilst Chinese accounts for the smallest proportion of the population at 0.3%. The School Census 15 showed that the four main ethnic backgrounds for school children were: Chiltern District White British Wycombe District South Bucks District Pakistani White Other Indian
Health The population has a higher life expectancy than the national average, from 83 for females (compared to 81 nationally) and 79 for males (compared to 76 nationally). Health is better than the national average, with lower levels of mental health problems, teenage pregnancy, deaths from smoking and early deaths from heart disease. With respect to health and disability, 13% of people in the County are reported to have limiting long-term illnesses compared to 18% in England and 15% in the South East. However, figures for road injuries and deaths are higher than the national average. Children are more susceptible than adults to harm to their physical, social and emotional health. Studies have demonstrated that disadvantage and poor health in childhood has a lifelong impact on health and achievement in life. This highlights the importance of promoting the health of children and families. Children and young people up to 19 years old: 99% describe their health as good. 3% are reported as having a longterm limiting illness, health problem or disability. There are 3648 children aged 0 17 with a limiting long term illness. Buckinghamshire has a much lower teenage pregnancy rate for under-18s (21.2 per 1000) than nationally (41.1 per 1000). This works out to 95 teenage mothers in Buckinghamshire. There are children and young people who suffer from substance abuse, mental health problems or have social, emotional or behavioural problems. There are 580 young carers in Buckinghamshire looking after a parent, brother or sister. Nationally nearly 10% of children are obese at 4 5 years and 17.5% are obese at 10 11 years. In Buckinghamshire, the rates are lower with 6.6% of children being obese at 4 5 years old and 14% at 10 11 years old. Economy Overall, the County is fairly financially well off with low levels of deprivation or poverty. Average household incomes are considerably higher than the UK average (+24%). In Buckinghamshire, the workforce is highly skilled, with a quarter of 16 74 year olds educated to degree level. However, 2.5% of the population live within areas that are within the top third of most disadvantaged areas in the country 16. Whilst the numbers affected in Buckinghamshire may be small, the impact on the health and education of children and young people can be significant.
National information says 17 : More than 11,000 children are in poverty in Buckinghamshire. Children growing up in poverty are more likely to: % 25 20 15 10 Children in families where no one is working have poorer health in childhood and adulthood 5 be obese than those from top income groups misuse drugs become unemployed be involved in crime, homeless die younger than children born into less materially deprived homes have poorer reading skills have poor qualifications become teenage or lone parents Children from manual backgrounds are significantly more likely to die in accidents than other children. Children in receipt of free school meals do worse on average than other pupils. Children who do not do well at primary school are less likely to improve at secondary school if they are poor. % 20 15 10 5 Areas Children in families where someone is working Areas Aylesbury Vale Chiltern Wycombe England Recession The current economic position in the UK and across the world is already affecting Buckinghamshire s economy and its residents. This means that families will feel the effects of the recession, especially in terms of their finances and job opportunities. In turn this will affect the health and education of children and young people. Areas of particular concern are the impact on lone parents and the impact on employment opportunities for young people.
Education Achievement in educational examinations is high. 18 Schools in Buckinghamshire continue to achieve results well above the national average and above those of similar authorities. Early Years Foundation Stage (Aged up to 5 years old) Results are above the national average. Primary Schools At Key Stage 1 (age 7) and Key Stage 2 (age 11) results are well above national standards and are high compared to similar authorities. Secondary Schools At Key Stage 3 (age 14), results are well above national standards. At Key Stage 4 (age 16), across all subjects: More pupils gained 5 or more GCSEs at Grade A*- C. More pupils gained 5 or more GCSEs at Grade A*- C including English and Maths. Buckinghamshire s results were the top-rated amongst similar authorities.
Results for students at A/AS level (post-16) and equivalent qualifications are well above the national average. College Overall success rates at Aylesbury College and Amersham & Wycombe College are satisfactory and in line with national averages. The colleges are good at raising the achievements of its learners. Although overall standards are high, there is still a wide variation in the performance of individual schools and groups of pupils. A priority in this Plan to Close the Gap focuses on closing the gaps in educational achievement and progress between the majority and specific groups of pupils, especially: vulnerable groups such as underachieving ethnic minority groups, those from more socially deprived backgrounds and those with special educational needs the performance of boys in English writing at Key Stage 2 (age 11)
Environment The largest number of people live in Aylesbury (69,000) and High Wycombe (77,000) added together, this is nearly 40% of Buckinghamshire residents. The North of the county is mostly rural with small market towns. Over a quarter of Buckinghamshire is included within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Beauty. Within rural areas, over 70% of land area is used for agriculture 19. The rural nature of Buckinghamshire presents a number of challenges including restrictions on land development and access to key services and facilities for rural communities, particularly for young and older people. The Government s policy statement Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future 20 identified Milton Keynes and the South Midlands as one of four growth areas in the wider South East. As part of this growth area, a large increase in housing in the Aylesbury urban area is planned. Delivering growth, whilst sustaining the environment and the quality of life in Buckinghamshire, will be one of the biggest challenges we face over the next 15 years.
The Buckinghamshire Strategic Partnership is taking forward the Sustainable Communities approach and developing individual plans for communities. These will set out the priorities for the future of Buckinghamshire, relevant to your local area and to the communities you are involved with. These plans will link to the Children and Young People s Plan in relation to: Improving Quality of Life for Children and Young People Targeting areas of identified need; closing attainment gap. Prosperous Communities Skills development; Economic well-being of vulnerable groups. Thames Valley Police have a dedicated neighbourhood team in every community that works locally with partners to solve problems identified by the community; this includes issues raised by young people as well as those involving young people. Young people are encouraged to take part in local neighbourhood action groups.
Research The health and well-being of children and young people in Buckinghamshire was examined in detail 21. Children and young people face a range of exciting and sometimes daunting challenges as they grow and develop. They are subject to pressures which, for some, at certain times in their lives and under certain circumstances, will mean that they need specialist advice and support. To identify the priorities for children and young people in Buckinghamshire, the following areas were researched: Health such as such as maternity care, antenatal screening, number of actual and projected live births, low birth weights, infant mortality, breast feeding, emergency admissions for accidents to children, respiratory tract infections, mental health Education, such as achievement in school/college examinations and the achievement of children in care Social Care factors, such as poverty and deprivation Children and Young People in special circumstances, such as young carers, children with disabilities, children who witness domestic violence or family breakdown, homelessness, children missing from home, bereavement, teenage parents, substance abuse Life changes, such as: starting school changing from primary to secondary school leaving school to enter further education, training or employment leaving the care system
Key Priorities For Buckinghamshire All of the partners in the Buckinghamshire Children and Young People s Trust have agreed the following priorities, which will be the focus for working together. The following pages show the results of our consultation on these priorities with people in Buckinghamshire, including children and young people. Core Belief We are committed to improving the safety of all children and young people. Safety is fundamental if children are not safe, they cannot be happy, healthy, achieve or reach their full potential. We want to keep children and young people safe from neglect and abuse, accidents, bullying, crime, anti-social behaviour and provide a safe and stable home environment. This is our core belief which runs through the Children and Young People s Plan. Priorities 1. Closing the Gap working with the children and young people who most need extra support to improve their learning at school/college, and their understanding of how to be healthy and where to get help if they need it. 2. Family Focus providing individual help and support to a family so that they can provide the best home for their children. 3. Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention providing help to children, young people and their families as soon as problems begin, to stop things getting worse or out of control. 4. Transitions providing extra support to children and young people at times of change in their lives, such as: starting school changing school moving from primary to secondary school moving from secondary school to further education, training or employment when family arrangements change (e.g. when parents divorce or a parent dies). 5. Children and young people and decision making using the opinions and ideas of children and young people to make sure the services provided for them are what they really want and need. The Children and Young People s Trust recognises the importance of active lifestyles in equipping children and young people for the future. This theme is incorporated across the fi ve key priorities.
Consultation With Children And Young People The views of 612 children and young people aged from 3 to 19 years were collected 22. The children and young people were: Equally split between girls and boys From different minority ethnic backgrounds From across a wide geographical area within Buckinghamshire Included children and young people who declared a range of disabilities. The priorities they considered were identified through a variety of methods including the Tell Us Survey 2007, Buckinghamshire County Council Residents Survey 2007 and feedback from people who provide services. Children and young people were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the priorities. The results are shown below. Suggested priority Closing the Gap working with those children and young people who most need extra support - to improve their learning at school/ college, and their understanding of how to be healthy and where to get help if they need it. Family Focus providing individual help and support to a family to help them provide the best home for their children. Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention help is provided to children, young people and their families as soon as problems begin, to stop things getting worse or out of control. Transitions children and young people are given extra support at times of change in their lives. Children and young people and decision making the opinions and ideas of children and young people are used to make sure the services provided for them are what they really want. % agree / strongly agree 79% 69% 73% 72% 81%
Responses of children and young people Do you agree with % 100 80 60 Yes No Not sure 40 20 Closing the gap Transition Intervention Famiy Focus Decision Making All the priorities received high levels of support from children and young people. Children and young people were asked what other things were important. These issues will also be taken into account through the actions in the Children and Young People s Plan.
They said: Information about keeping safe in relation to sexual health Making information available to children and their families about what services and leisure/sporting activities are available to them Actions in the Plan: The new Buckinghamshire Family Information Service, under Family Focus, and Children and Young People and Decision Making More support for children with disabilities Actions in the Plan: Aiming High for Disabled Children programme are described under Family Focus, and Transitions. Involvement of disabled children, described under Children and Young People and Decision Making. Improvement to play, youth and leisure facilities Actions in the Plan: The Children and Young People s Trust supports the promotion and delivery of a range of activities including organised sessions, improved play and recreation, participation in high quality PE and sport, cultural opportunities, different ways to volunteer and services for disabled children. For example, see Healthy lifestyle activities (described under Family Focus in relation to childhood obesity) or the Local Delivery approach providing a range of activities (described under Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention).
Consultation with Adults Adults were encouraged to complete an online consultation questionnaire on the Buckinghamshire County Council s website. There were 123 responses from individuals. They were: Equally split between men and women, Mostly from a white British background (90%), Aged between 18 and 75+, with the highest response group aged 45 54 (24%) There were also 39 responses presenting the view of organisations. When asked whether they agreed with the suggested priorities for Buckinghamshire, the percentage in agreement was: These priorities can be compared with the priorities for children and young people Suggested priority Family Focus ensure that services are working together to support the whole family to achieve outcomes Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention a strong focus on prevention and providing early support for those at greatest risk so that problems don t get out of control Transitions support for children, young people and adults at key stages in their lives % agree/ strongly agree 85% 92% 81% These priorities were about more general issues Maintain robust systems for surveillance and control of infectious diseases Improving efficiency and effectiveness of services to ensure most effective use of available resources Giving people more say about the services they receive, including in some cases direct control over the budgets for their services Improving the health of those with the poorest health and addressing wider factors that affect the health of these groups 84% 95% 50% 75%
Closing the Gap We will work with those children and young people who most need extra support to improve their learning at school/college, and their understanding of how to be healthy and where to get help if they need it. Why are we doing this? There are key groups with poorer emotional and physical wellbeing, poorer educational attainment and fewer opportunities in life as a result. This priority aims to support poorer children/ young people or those affected by special circumstances by helping them to achieve at school/college and be healthy. % 100 80 Foundation Stage Profile 2007 % of pupils achieving 6+ in PSE scales 60 40 The Foundation Stage Profile 23 is a set of data collected on 5-year old children. The chart shows that children living in hard-pressed areas are achieving lower Personal, Social andemotional Development scores than children of the same age in more well-off areas. 20 Wealthy Achievers Urban Prosperity Off Comfortably Moderate Means Hard Pressed
% 80 KS4 2007 % of pupils that achieved 5+ A C including English and Maths Buckinghamshire 60 England 40 20 Wealthy Achievers Urban Prosperity Off Comfortably Moderate Means Hard Pressed Generally, children and young people in Buckinghamshire have exceptional education results. Buckinghamshire has one of the highest levels of pupils attaining 5 or more GCSE s A* C including English and Maths in the country. However, the likelihood of a pupil attaining this varies according to the area in which they live. The following graph shows this variation. It also shows that, in Buckinghamshire, the gap between the highest achievers and those at the lower end of the scale is much greater than the national average.
The education and health of children and young people can be affected by a range of special circumstances. For example, of the 126,000 children/young people in Buckinghamshire: 22% of school aged children live in areas classed as either "hard-pressed" or "moderate means". There is evidence that those who live in these areas are likely to have worse health, education and social outcomes than those living in other areas Some minority ethnic groups in Buckinghamshire have worse educational outcomes than the national average level There are 279 children in care in Buckinghamshire. Generally, they do not do as well as other children at school There are 3648 children aged 0 17 with a limiting long term illness There are 2668 children with a Statement of Special Educational Need (SEN) There are children who witness domestic violence (1400 referrals in a 6-month period where domestic violence was a factor) There are children who are affected by family breakdown or trauma 3% 5% of children experience the death of someone close to them There were 95 teenage mothers in Buckinghamshire There are children and young people who suffer from substance abuse, mental health problems or have social, emotional or behavioural problems There are 580 young carers in Buckinghamshire looking after a parent, brother or sister The Confederation of British Industries, in partnership with the Learning and Skills Improvement Service, has researched how businesses and colleges can work together more effectively to boost employees skills 24. Tough economic times make it more important than ever that effective college-business partnerships are in place to help young people improve their skills, so that they are able to meet employer s needs and get jobs.
Case Study of Good Practice Mohammed* was brought up in the children in care system and is now a sixth form student. When he was 13 years old, his teacher noted that Mohammed was naturally talented at science. Because of this, at the end of Year 11, Mohammed attended the Aimhigher/ Buckinghamshire New University Summer School for Children in Care. He achieved 12 GCSEs but a year later, in summer 2008, he did not do well in his AS level examination. Mohammed s social worker asked the Educating Children in Public Care (ECPC) 16+ team to help. They gave Mohammed advice on choosing university courses, and a tutor was recruited to help improve grades in the subject most relevant to his chosen degree. ECPC paid for Mohammed to re-take his AS level examination and his grade improved from Grade U (June 2008) to Grade D (January 2009). The ECPC team helped Mohammed to complete his university application form, write a personal statement and decide on his choices. This included going with him to visit the universities he was considering, taking a campus tour, meeting with student services and understanding how funding and accommodation choices would work. Mohammed has developed increased confidence in his academic work. He has received offers of a place on a degree courses from four universities. Mohammed asks for support when he needs it and is now planning his future. * Name has been changed. Image posed by model. Case Study of Good Practice From 2006 to 2009, thirty schools in challenging circumstances and the staff in the County Council s School Improvement Service have worked together to raise educational standards. The project included working with an Early Years group to make sure that actions were connected, from the local Early Years settings through to the local school. Under-performing groups of pupils or individual pupils were identified and their progress was carefully tracked. Schools worked out what the barriers to learning were for these pupils, and set up coaching to further improve learning and teaching. Schools were encouraged to be creative and innovative. For example, one school set up a home tuition project. Another used video technology to improve skills in speaking and listening. Improving the quality of writing and Maths were also high priorities for improvement. Although headteachers were responsible for their own action plans, there were regular opportunities for the schools to share successes and good examples of actions taken. This was a community of schools learning from each other. By tracking pupil progress, schools focused closely on the targeted pupils and were well informed about what could make an impact. By the end of the project, most of the schools had achieved their targets in English and exceeded their targets in Maths.
What are we going to do? 1. Implement the strategy for closing the gap in early years education: Develop the quality of the service provided for children up to 5 years old (known as the Foundation Stage) Support early years staff to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities through gaining early years qualifications from NVQ Level 2 through to post-graduate level Work locally through the 0 7 Alliance to improve the progress of individual children and provide support as they move from early years to school 3. Implement the strategy to improve the quality of learning for children aged 14 19 and offer high quality learning opportunities which will: Provide each individual with a range of courses which meets their needs Ensure better opportunities for pupils to progress on to higher education, further education, training and to work Be better matched to the needs of the local, regional and global economies Meet the needs of learners with disabilities or other difficulties, so that they can access learning 2. Implement the strategy for closing the gap in school/college: Strengthen the leadership in our schools so that school/college staff can focus on learning and speed up children s progress Provide extra support for school/college to improve the quality of learning and teaching Provide individual support to pupils, to improve their confidence and progress at school/college Provide a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs and interests of all learners, and motivates and inspires pupils to do their best Give extra help and information to the children who need it most.
Help children and young people that are struggling with school and home. 4. Strengthen the support offered to children and young people in public care, as part of the statutory role of the Local Authority as a corporate parent 25 : Ensure children in care under 5 years old are using high quality early years provision Monitor the educational progress of children in care Provide additional support for individual children, such as a specialist subject tutor or a personal mentor, in line with their particular needs Develop good partnerships with appropriate schools staff (known as Designated Teachers) and provide training on the care system and the needs of children in care 5. Improve the knowledge of children and young people about how to be healthy: Provide information and advice through the new Buckinghamshire Family Information Service Through the actions to reduce childhood obesity (more information under the priority called Family Focus) Through the Healthy Lives Brighter Futures initiative (more information under the priority called Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention) We expect that this will mean: Every child is supported to fulfill their potential, with a focus on their individual needs. Extra support is given to children who are not doing as well as they could do. This will help improve their results at school, so they are similar to those of other pupils. This could include, for example, children from disadvantaged families, black and minority ethnic backgrounds, boys with their writing, summer born pupils and children in care. More children in Early Years settings will reach the expected level of personal, social and emotional development, and language and literacy skills. More 11 years olds will achieve the nationally expected level in English and Maths. More secondary school pupils will achieve 5 or more A* C grades at GCSE, including English and Maths. Improved progress for children from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 (ages 7 11) in English and Maths. More 16 18 year olds in some form of education, training or employment. Improved qualifications and examination results for children aged 14 19. Young people from low income backgrounds are able to progress to college or university.
Family Focus We will provide individual help and support to a family to help them provide the best home for their children. Why are we doing this? Children and young people are part of families. We want to ensure that services work together to help the whole family. Research suggests that Good, high quality, timely support for parents as their children grow up is likely to improve [children s] health, social and educational development and well-being. We want to ensure that there is appropriate support so that parents can fulfil their parenting role. There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings. Hodding Carter Key issues are: Where both parents are obese, there is a significant likelihood that children of that family will be obese. In Buckinghamshire, 6.6% of children are obese at 4 5 years old and 14% at 10 11 years old. A report commissioned by the Buckinghamshire Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Public Health examines the issues. Children are more likely to smoke if their parents smoke. 45% of young people receiving treatment for substance misuse in Buckinghamshire had a family member misusing substances. Children growing up with parents with mental health problems or learning difficulties are at risk of developing social, emotional and/or behavioural problems. The environment in which children grow affects their development and emotional well-being. Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to experience posttraumatic stress and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties. In a year, there were 5912 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by Thames Valley Police, with Women s Aid providing refuge for 137 women and 205 children. There are children who witness domestic violence (1400 referrals in a 6-month period where domestic violence was a factor). Thames Valley Police know that young people suffer when family relationships break down. When police become involved in the investigation of domestic abuse, they consider the impact on young people in the household and link into other services to ensure they receive the help and support they need. Families with disabled children told government that their top priority is regular and reliable short breaks from caring.
The proportion of parents living in hard-pressed areas that think that parents not taking responsibility for their children is a problem is higher than in other areas. % 50 40 30 20 10 % 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Wealthy Achievers Urban Prosperity Comfortably Off Moderate Means Hard Pressed Average The proportion of parents living in hard-pressed areas that are dissatisfied with support for parents is higher than in other areas. Wealthy Achievers Urban Prosperity Comfortably Moderate Means Hard Pressed Average Off Case Study of Good Practice At Pre-school, the Leader noticed that Kai* was having some problems with his speech. When the Pre-school Leader mentioned this to Kai s parents, they didn t agree with her opinion and didn t want any additional help for Kai. The Leader heard that the local Children s Centre was holding Play and Learn sessions where professionals, including the Speech and Language Therapist, speak about their work in a very informal setting. The Pre-school Leader spoke to Kai s parents again and encouraged them to attend the session, just to hear what the Therapist had to say. After the general talk by the Therapist, Kai s dad had a short chat with the Therapist and was encouraged to seek help for Kai. He agreed that Kai could join a Speech and Language Group. The Pre-school Leader has noticed that this additional support for Kai is already leading to improvement in his speech. * Name has been changed. Image posed by model.
What are we going to do? 1. Update our Parenting Strategy, in line with the Government s Think Family 26 initiative: Work with parents who are known to put children at risk, such as parents who are offenders, in prison, involved in domestic abuse, have mental health problems or misuse drugs or alcohol Support parents to be involved in their child s learning, including school attendance and offering support and information 2. Ensure information, advice and assistance is available to families through the new Buckinghamshire Family Information Service. This will include information on positive activities, such as clubs, sports, physical activity and leisure and cultural activities. 3. Implement the Aiming High for Disabled Children 27 programme: Extend short break provision for severely disabled children and young people, including focusing on those who: have complex health needs; have autism combined with other impairments; are severely disabled young people aged 14+; are children aged 11+ with lifting and handling needs; are disabled young people with challenging behaviour; are severely disabled children under 5. Short breaks should include specialist services, targeted services and supported access into universal services, providing opportunities for young people to have social activities and new experiences. Meet the requirements of the Local Authority Charter for Every Disabled Child Matters 28 4. Further work around domestic abuse: Provide parenting programmes for families who have experienced domestic abuse 29 Provide Freedom programmes for women (adults and young people) who have been involved in domestic abuse Provide specialised Therapeutic Play Groups / Parent and Child Support sessions for families who have experienced domestic abuse within their families
5. Implement the recommendations of the Buckinghamshire Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Public Health and the Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet in relation to childhood obesity 30 : Support the delivery of a school meals service in all schools with a sustainable demand, with resources targeted towards the most disadvantaged areas Focus on the 20% of young people who do not participate in physical activity and encourage them to do so Make sure that activities that will influence family lifestyles, including sports and physical activity, are available through a variety of channels Provide consistent health messages and information in locations where the public expects to find them 6. Address childhood poverty through the Buckinghamshire Strategic Partnership s Healthy Communities Strategy: Help families in workless households or households on low incomes with their financial management skills and provide support to get parents back to work Support for lone parent families We expect that this will mean: Parents/carers know what support and information is available to them, which will help them in their role and meet their needs Parents/carers are able to use parenting support at appropriate times and stages to meet their needs A wide range of information and advice is available to parents and provided through the web, by telephone and in locations where the parents would expect to find it More Children s Centres will open across the County, offering support and services to families with young children Parents/carers of disabled children are involved in service planning and help to ensure that short break services are planned based on local needs, and are culturally appropriate to meet the racial, cultural, linguistic and religious needs of disabled children and their families Parents/carers of disabled children will have access to an expanded range of short break services, including more activity-based short breaks at weekends and in the holidays, and more home-based breaks Parents/carers of disabled children will have clear information on eligibility criteria and how to access services Support for families involved in domestic abuse at an early stage Non-abusing parents will have an increased understanding of the effect of domestic abuse on their children, so that they can develop ways of thinking and behaving to protect themselves and their children Children and the non-abusing parent who have experienced domestic abuse will have a safe environment to explore their feelings so that all family members are able to move forward More schools will take part in the national Healthy Schools programme, focusing on Personal, Social and Health education (PSHE), healthy eating, physical activity and emotional health and well-being A health programme will be introduced in Children s Centres, such as Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young (HENRY) 31
Early Intervention And Secondary Prevention We will help children, young people and their families as soon problems begin, to stop things getting worse or out of control. Why are we doing this? We want to focus on those children and young people who are at risk. We want to help them to be better informed about the risks they may face, and offer support to solve problems or make changes. Research undertaken by Communities that Care 32 identified factors that may be helpful to understand in deciding on the best approach. Home Poor parental supervision and discipline Family conflict Family history of problem behaviour Parental involvement/attitudes in relation to problem behaviour Low income/poor housing Individual/Friends/ Similar children/young people Lack of social contact, isolation Attitudes that condone problem behaviour Early involvement in problem behaviour Friends involved in problem behaviour School Low achievement beginning in primary school Aggressive behaviour, including bullying Lack of commitment, including truancy School disorganisation Community Disadvantaged communities Community disorganisation and neglect Availability of drugs High turnover of people in the community Lack of community attachment The Common Assessment Framework 33 aims to identify children and young people who may have additional needs at an early stage, so support can be offered at the earliest possible point. This Framework was introduced in Buckinghamshire in 2008. A year later, a review of the implementation found that: Early indicators of risk are not being identified for many children and young people Some services have not been delivered in a way that made them easy for families at risk to access
There are many risk factors that we need to consider: Bullying The recent Tell Us Survey 34 showed that bullying is an issue for more children in Buckinghamshire than other areas nationally. Teenage pregnancy Young people are likely to participate in risky sexual behaviour and the younger they become sexually active, the more likely they are not to use contraception. The teenage pregnancy rate in Buckinghamshire has fallen by 15% since 1998 Buckinghamshire has a much lower teenage pregnancy rate for under-18s (21.2 per 1000) than nationally (41.1 per 1000). The Tell Us Survey found that children and young people in Buckinghamshire want better information on sex and relationships Children at risk of exploitation 77 young women aged between 11 and 18 were referred to the Buckinghamshire RU Safe Project 35 having been identified as being sexually exploited or at serious risk of sexual exploitation Children missing from Home 141 children and young people were referred as missing by Thames Valley Police to the Buckinghamshire RU Safe Project Missing Service Children are our most valuable natural resource Herbert Hoover
Obesity Nationally, nearly 10% of children are obese at 4 5 years and 17.5% are obese at 10 11 years. In Buckinghamshire, the rates are lower with 6.6% of children are obese at 4 5 years old and 14% at 10 11 years old. The Tell Us Survey found that children and young people in Buckinghamshire want better information and advice on eating healthy food. Substance misuse Alcohol A survey of 11-18 year olds by Buckinghamshire New University had over 14,000 responses, which showed that: boys were more likely to have drunk alcohol than girls boys drank more units of alcohol than girls. 28% of pupils had consumed 14 or more units, which is higher than the nationally recommended maximum level. Substance misuse Drugs 222 young people were in drug treatment. The main drugs being used were cannabis (55%), heroin (6%) and cocaine (5%). Young people receiving treatment are likely to be abusing more than one substance. Road Traffic Accidents 21 children and young people were killed or seriously injured. In our mostly rural county, many children and young people travel by bus or car and are not exposed to significant traffic risks. The numbers of young people aged 17 24 involved in a collision where someone has been killed or injured is reducing slowly Youth Offending The greatest influence on offending behaviour is caused by lack of education, training and employment (44%), difficulties with family and personal relationships (41%) and issues relating to substance use (36%). Absence from schools Buckinghamshire rates are better than for England as a whole the figures for England are in brackets in the table below: Total absence Persistent absentees Primary 4.37% (5.18%) 0.90% (1.80%) Secondary 7.10% (7.86%) 4.70% (6.70%) All schools 5.70% (6.49%) 2.80% (4.10%) Exclusions from school Buckinghamshire rates are better than for England as a whole Permanent Fixed Period Primary 0.62% Secondary 0.08% 7.70% All schools 0.04% 4.38% number too small to report
Case Study of Good Practice Susan* is 7 years old and lives in High Wycombe. Her health visitor realised there were some problems affecting Susan and her two younger brothers. She arranged a meeting of representatives who could support Susan and her family with problems at home and school. These problems included Susan s parents recently separating and difficulties with learning. There were also some family difficulties related to housing and finance, which impacted on Susan s care at home. At the meeting, Susan s mother explained the difficulties that she was experiencing and how they were affecting her daughter s learning and self esteem. The group considered each of the issues and suggested ways to help with them. For example, support was provided by the school nurse to help Susan s self-esteem. Arrangements were made for free school meals that would help the family s finances and also stop Susan feeling different. The Headteacher helped Susan s mum understand the best way to support her daughter to read at home, to help improve her literacy. Each service that supports Susan and her family are aware of the different aspects of support that is being provided by the representatives on the group. This is a good example of a family experiencing a number of issues which together make a complex situation. The situation is then improved by a coordinated approach. * Name has been changed. Image posed by model. [Families] should be given time to sort it out themselves, then, if it doesn t work out, help them