Strategy sets out priorities to improve lives of district’s young people

A NEW plan has been set out detailing a strategy around North Yorkshire’s children and young people.

The ‘Young and Yorkshire 2’ document, setting out a framework to shape the environment and objectives for change, is to replace the previous plan which was adopted in 2013. The final draft of the report is to go before North Yorkshire County Council’s executive for approval tomorrow.

Pete Dwyer, director of children’s services, said in the report’s forward: “We want to make not just step-by-step improvements, but to start to address some of the more difficult challenges that sometimes limit children’s life chances – whether it be the school they go to, the community they grow up in, or the earnings of their parents.

“We do not accept these limits on the opportunities for children and young people in North Yorkshire.”

The plan has been produced by The Children’s Trust partnership, made up of all agencies working with children in the county. It details nine priorities around families, protection, promotion, health inequalities, experiences and progression, with key considerations being tackling placebased differences, inclusion, and deprivation. It also outlines some of the issues different areas face.

In Richmondshire, hospital admissions for children’s injuries are high, while in Ryedale, educational attainment is lower than in other areas. Strikingly, one in 10 pupils surveyed in Harrogate admitted they had at times carried weapons or something for protection when going out. And in Craven, internet safety was key, with seven per cent of Year 6 pupils having sent images they regretted.