Priority one - The best start in life to achieve big ambitions

We will support all children to have the best possible start in life, within a safe and inclusive community where everyone can thrive. We will work hard to prevent children and families from experiencing the impact of poverty, creating a bright and healthy future with a shared sense of belonging. We will support children in our care, as part of our approach to create equality of opportunity for all children and young people in the Borough.

Key Moves

Giving children and young people the best possible start, in an inclusive community where everyone can thrive

We will ensure that all children, young people and families are supported to achieve their full potential through our early years, health and wellbeing, childcare and education system. We recognise communities that seek to improve the health and development of its children, are helping to build strong foundations for future economic growth and prosperity and happy, healthy and nurturing families.

For children in the earliest years of life, prevention and early intervention will focus on strengthening relationships and connections - between parents and their children, the wider community and the services that provide help and support in communities. In doing so, we will support our early years providers, schools and wider teams to collaborate fully, to ensure that quality and inclusivity are at the heart of everything we do. This will ensure that all children and families thrive and develop skills for life. As set out in our Best Start in Life Strategy (PDF, 1 MB), we will also:

support children and families with the development of early speech, language and communication, while supporting families to provide a positive and healthy home learning environment
encourage access to high quality, inclusive and affordable Early Years education and increase the provision of childcare settings to enable more working parents to access free childcare
support schools to provide wraparound services before and after school, alongside enrichment activities that promote healthy and active lives
ensure that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities have their needs met, and that we are a Borough where everyone is included regardless of their need, background or vulnerability. In doing so, we will aim to provide support for children in a local school or setting (where possible) without the need to travel long distances to have their needs supported
working with our partners, we will support good attendance, reduce exclusions and make attendance a priority. We will take a targeted approach to engage with families in a school setting and bring appropriate services together that enable children and young people to access school with support that allows them to thrive
work with Schools and Post-16 providers to increase the number of children and young people in Education, Employment and Training at ages 16 to 18 years, helping to grow their ambitions and meeting the needs of local employers

A safe community for all children and young people

We will develop our partnership approach to address serious youth violence and build feelings of safety for all Children and Young People.

We will take a child first approach, as set out in the Youth Justice Plan, which will see us:

prioritise the interests of children including their particular needs, capacities, rights and potential
promote children's individual strengths and capacities to develop their social involvement, leading to safer communities and fewer victims
encourage children's active participation, engagement and wider social inclusion
promote a childhood removed from the justice system, using prevention and diversion

Preventing children and families from experiencing the impact of poverty and taking a targeted approach to reduce the number of children in poverty

We will address the emerging issues at home and in school that directly affect children, young people and their families or carers. This will include:

maximising free school meals take up and ensuring that the council's school meal provision offers healthy and nutritious options for a balanced diet
implementing a school uniform affordability action plan and the targeted promotion of Healthy Starts Vouchers to increase take up amongst eligible families
continuing to deliver our Holidays Are Fun programme in partnership with the VCSE, providing activities and healthy meals during school holidays
continue to bring together key stakeholders from across our Borough as a network to address issues relating to our children who may be in poverty

Support for children in our care

As Corporate Parents, we are committed to supporting the children we care for and care leavers to have happy and healthy childhoods, achieve their full potential and have a successful adulthood. Our Corporate Parenting Strategy sets out how we will do this by focusing on Safe and Stable Homes, built on love - where children and young people feel safe, secure and cared for. Specifically, we will focus on:

providing opportunities to achieve and progress in education, employment and training
creating connections and building communities through networks with opportunities to participate and have fun
supporting children and young people to share their views, wishes and feelings and ensuring we listen, feedback and take action
promoting healthy lives through physical and emotional health and wellbeing - now and in the future
preparing and supporting our care experienced young people for adult lives
supporting and advocating for our children and young people and challenging others to do the same

A bright future and a sense of belonging

We will support all of our children and young people to have high aspirations for their future in our Borough and to have fulfilled lives. This will take place through our high-quality education settings, alongside a range of sport, leisure and cultural opportunities for children and families. We will also help our young people to explore opportunities across different employment sectors and build a positive, meaningful future for themselves in the Borough.

For our children and young people with complex needs and who need additional support, we will ensure there is a shared responsibility to develop and implement a 'Preparing for Adulthood' pathway. This will support young people during their transition, ensuring that agencies work together so they can move through life stages as seamlessly as possible.

Young people will also have their voice heard and be involved in making a difference, for example through Bright Minds Big Futures (BMBF) which is an award-winning youth-led movement, working together with us to make the Borough a great place to grow up in.

We all have a part to play - how can you help give our children and young people the best start in life?

The support of a strong community can create nurturing environment that has a profound effect on children's wellbeing and development, laying the foundations for a bright future.

Here are just some of the things you can do to support our Key Moves for this priority and help make our Vision a reality:

get involved with our Family Hubs in Billingham, Redhill, Stockton and Thornaby to support and benefit from advice, activity sessions, parenting workshops and much more
volunteer with the Independent Visitors Scheme to spend time with young people in our care who would benefit from a friendship with an adult who can offer support, role model qualities and share in doing fun activities with time away from their placement
encourage school attendance and help increase attainment for the young people in your life, perhaps become a School Governor to ensure high standards of achievement across the Borough's schools
encourage and support children to play and keep moving, making the best use of our leisure services and outdoor spaces
encourage and support students aged 16 to 18 in the Borough, and raise awareness of the local opportunities available to them as they enter the world of work