Children and Young People’s Plan 2019–2023

I wish for everyone to be happy and safe

Children and Young People s Plan 2019 -23

Putting Children First: The plan for Jersey s children, young people and their families

R.39/2019

Contents

Foreword  4 Children s plan on a page   6 Our vision  8 Overall approach  8 Three passions  10 About the plan  10 Our call to action  11 Starting points for 2019  11

Appendix 1: Putting Children First Pledge  13 Appendix 2: Priorities for action   14

Outcome 1:   All children in Jersey Grow up Safely  14

Outcome 2:  All children in Jersey Learn and Achieve  15

Outcome 3:  All children in Jersey Live Healthy Lives  18

Outcome 4:  All children in Jersey are Valued and Involved   20 Appendix 3: Planning bookcase   22 Appendix 4: Common values  23

Involving children and young people

Foreword Around 30 primary and secondary schools were invited to a workshop, hosted

by the Children s Minister, Senator Sam MØzec, to help design the new Children and Young People s Plan for Jersey.

We want Jersey to be the best place for children and young people to grow up.

We have included their work throughout this plan.

I am proud to present the Children and Young People s Plan, 2019-23, for Jersey,

which has been developed with a clear vision that all children should have an  They shared their ideas on how the new Children and Young People s Plan equal opportunity to be safe, flourish and fulfil their potential . should be designed and they presented and discussed their ideas through

artwork, words, poems, speeches and songs.

Children and young people from all parts of the island have helped us identify

the priorities described within this document. They have participated through

their school councils, writing poems, drawing pictures and composing songs to  

ensure their key issues do not get forgotten. We have also spoken to parents,  Grow up Safely Learn and Achieve families, and front-line practitioners in carefully considering all aspects of  

childhood in Jersey.

The Care Inquiry told us that we needed a plan with a clear set of outcomes that  could be measured to understand if we were making a difference or not. This  plan identifies four outcomes and has an accompanying 16 indicators that we will  continually use to ask ourselves if we have made a difference.

We want every child and young person in Jersey to be able to:

 Grow up Safely feel part of a loving family and a community that cares

 Learn and Achieve have the best start in life and go on to achieve their    full potential

 Live a Healthy Life enjoy the best health and wellbeing possible

 Be Valued and Involved have a say in the decisions that affect their  

  everyday lives, regardless of where they live or the school they go to.

Ketaki, Jersey College Prep, Year 6 Bel Royal School, Year 6

We will put children and young people at the heart of what we do over the  

duration of this plan, seeking to ensure that their needs are understood and met,  

and that they have clear ways to hold us to account for our decisions. Live Healthy Lives Valued and Involved

To help us deliver the improvements required I have set up a new board, which  will work across government and the voluntary sector to foster the partnerships  and joint working necessary to make our ambition a reality.

This plan is further evidence of the Council of Ministers commitment to Put  Children First . We want this plan to make a difference, not just to the services we  deliver but to children s everyday lives. I hope that you will be able to play your  part in helping to make this plan a reality for children and young people.

Signed,

Senator Sam MØzec Children s Minister

Pedro and Lexie, St Clement s School, Year 6 Julia and Phoebe, Mont l'AbbØ School

Children s Plan on a page Five guiding principles: we will always

All children will be safe, able to flourish and fulfil their potential.

Listen and  Celebrate

involve Work creatively  diversity

Our outcomes for all children and   and innovatively

Think family  in close partnership Prevent problems young people: and community beginning or escalating

Grow up  Learn and  Live Healthy  Valued and Safely Achieve Lives Involved

Our priorities Our priorities Our priorities Our priorities

1. Establish outstanding children s  1 Provide the best start during  1 Invest in children s health 1 Create a sense of belonging social work practice early years
   2. Protect and promote children s  2 Ensure fairness of opportunity

2. Deliver an island-wide response  2 Improve standards in nurseries and  mental health to tackle domestic abuse schools 3 Respect, protect and promote
   3. Focus on disability and inclusion children s rights

3 Ensure a consistent focus  3 Building better transitions to

to strengthen families and  employment 4 A renewed focus on housing and

communities outdoor spaces

How we want to make   How we want to make   How we want to make   How we want to make  a difference a difference a difference a difference

Safely reduce the number of  Increase the number of children  Increase children s quality of life Reduce children s experience of looked after children achieving the expected level in  poverty and the impact of living  

the Early Learning Goals Increase the number of children  in a low income family

Reduce the number of children  who are a healthy weight

involved in domestic abuse cases Increase the number of pupils  Increase the number of children

achieving 5+ standard GCSEs Increase the number of two year  who are aware of their rights under Reduce the number of children  olds reaching all developmental  the UNCRC

being bullied Reduce the number of young  milestones

people who become NEET (Not in  Increase the number of children Reduce the number of children  Education Employment Training) Reduce dental extractions who feel their school would act on

who are victims of crime their ideas

Reduce the number of pupils  

who are persistently absent  Increase the number of children from school who feel their community would

act on their ideas

Our passions Protecting children s rights Reducing inequalities Promoting wellbeing

Our vision

Our vision has been shaped by children and young people themselves, along with those who deliver services to them. We asked them about their hopes for the future and what they would wish to change in Jersey. There is one word which encapsulates the responses of everyone we heard from, and that is

 opportunity .

It is our vision that:

All children should have an equal opportunity to be safe, flourish and fulfil their potential.

In other words, we want every child and young person in Jersey to be able to:

 Grow up Safely   feel part of a loving family and a community that cares

 Learn and Achieve   have the best start in life and go on to achieve their

full potential

Live a Healthy Life   enjoy the best health and wellbeing possible

 Be Valued and Involved having a say in the decisions that affect their  

everyday lives, regardless of where they live or the school they go to

We do not view these outcomes in isolation. They are inextricably intertwined. By recognising the crucial interaction between these outcomes, we will work together to make the biggest difference in the lives of children and young people. Our ambition is to improve everyday lives for all children and young people. We want to break the link between a person s background and where they get to in life. We will do this through actions in four outcome areas.

Overall approach

Building on our commitment set out in the Putting Children s First Pledge to Children (appendix 1), we have identified five guiding principles that underpin everything we do, all of the time, when we work with children and families:

Listen and involve: We will facilitate conversations to ensure that children and young people are placed at the core of decision making and that we truly listen, give feedback and, as appropriate, act on what they tell us. We are committed to working collectively as equal partners with children, young people and families to identify priorities for change and to co-produce plans that deliver the change that they want to see. This approach is founded on proper respect for children s rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention.

Think family and community: We will always consider the wider context of family and community in working with a child or young person. We do this because families have primary responsibility for, and are the main influence on their children and young people. We will support families and communities to provide safe and secure places for children and young people. We will help them build their capacity so that they can overcome obstacles which limit opportunity and we will work with them to build on their strengths so that all children and young people live in an environment where they can flourish and are able to live life to its fullest.

Work creatively and innovatively in close partnership: We will continue to challenge ourselves by looking to national and international best practice to identify imaginative and new ways to improve outcomes. At all times we will ensure that we spend public money wisely, always questioning the impact and effectiveness of our work. As partners we will work collaboratively to meet the needs of children and young people and ensure seamless transitions through

a focus on their outcomes, not our organisational boundaries. Our strong working relationships must remain positive and creative at all times. Where we need to, we will share information and infrastructure, pool budgets and jointly commission to meet local need. The contribution of the voluntary sector and the strength of local communities are vitally important in supporting provision and choice in services for children, young people and their families.

Celebrate diversity: We know that our children and young people have a wide and diverse range of needs, which if unmet, can pose particular challenges and limit life chances. We will not only recognise these differences, we will embrace and celebrate them. We are inspired by the diversity of our children and young people and endeavour to always develop a better understanding of their needs. We will promote a culture of inclusion and tolerance, and in all that we do we seek to put our inclusive values into action. We will work relentlessly to ensure that no child, young person, family or community experiences discrimination or is at relative disadvantage, and is instead supported to overcome difficulties or barriers to their learning, participation and opportunities.

Prevent problems beginning or escalating: We advocate the benefits of providing help early so that problems experienced by families do not escalate to crisis. This not only helps to ensure that children are growing up in a secure and loving space, but also helps to prevent costly and more intrusive later interventions. We recognise the importance of children s experiences in the first few years of their lives; this lays the foundation for their future development and can be predictive of future outcomes. We are determined to work in an integrated and collaborative way to make sure that children have the best possible start on which to build their future lives.

Three passions

Everything we do will be underpinned by three passions that we will use to test the proposed changes and improvements that are brought forward to deliver the positive changes in children s lives that we aspire to. These include;

1. Protecting children s rights: We will continually check that our practice and progress is Rights Respecting as part of our commitment to the United Nations Convention
2. Reducing inequalities: We know that some children in Jersey will need more support to achieve the life chances that we want for all children growing up in Jersey.
3. Promoting wellbeing: Build on children s and family strengths practitioners work in partnerships with families recognising and promoting resilience and helping them to build their capabilities.

About the plan

The plan has been written by the Government of Jersey in partnership with

the voluntary sector, children and young people across the Island. It has

been written for all children, young people and their families living in Jersey, including families who may only recently have arrived. References to we in this document are intended to refer to the government collectively, working together in close partnership with voluntary agencies, children and their families.

Any references to child or children should be taken to mean any young person aged 0-19 (i.e. their 19th birthday), care leavers up to the age of 25 (i.e., their 25th birthday), and young people up to the age of 25 who have special educational needs and disabilities for whom the Government of Jersey continue to provide support.

We want this plan to make a difference, not just to the services we deliver but to children s everyday lives. Realising the outcomes in this plan cannot be achieved by any single organisation. To really make change happen, we need collective action across all parts of system - from families to children s services, schools and other statutory services, to communities and voluntary organisations.

This plan presents a huge opportunity, as well as a great responsibility. It is

a responsibility, which the Government of Jersey is privileged to hold and an opportunity it is determined to seize.

Our call to action

We want to make not just step-by-step improvements, but to start to address some of the more difficult challenges that can 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 Jersey.

This plan provides an overarching framework to stimulate action and support continuous challenge of our collective leadership. It is a live document designed to be flexible enough to allow for and recognise change. We will keep this plan under continual review, and on an annual basis complete a formal review to ensure it remains relevant, dynamic and aligned with shifting local and national priorities.

We have identified a set of 16 measures of success where we want to see real positive change (see Appendix 2). Some of these we are able to impact through the services we directly provide, and others require us to exert our combined effort to influence wider changes that may have previously felt beyond our reach. We are determined to meet the challenge we have set ourselves and will regularly review progress against these measures. Where it is clear that we need to take action in order to ensure progress is maintained and improved, we will ensure that this happens.

However, the priority list of indicators does not represent the vast range of data, analysis and other evidence which we will continue to review to ensure that this plan is having the impact we would want it to. We will take a flexible approach, making careful use of a range of objective performance information so that we can respond to emerging issues. Importantly, we will always look at the story behind the data through the eyes and voice of children, young people and families.

Starting points for 2019

In order to start well, we will be establishing a new delivery structure that will support cross government planning and action. A proposed governance structure, planning bookcase (appendix 3) and a shared set of common values and beliefs (appendix 4) are described. Initial focus will be informed by the following:

 Commitments set out in the Council of Ministers Common Strategic Policy

 Current actions being progressed as part of the Children s Services

Improvement Plan

Existing projects being delivered in response to the Care Inquiry

 Findings from the recent Young People s Schools Survey (2018) and

Children s Commissioner Questionnaire (2018)

Appendix 1: Putting Children First States Members and Executive Leadership Pledge

The Pledge to Children and Young People Putting Children First

States Members have joined Ministers and senior officials in signing the Pledge  Members of the States Assembly, the Council of Ministers to Jersey s Children and Young People. and the Executive Leadership of the public service pledge

that we will work together and support and challenge one CMhØizeef cMlianuisntcehr eSde nthaeto Pr leJodhgne Line SFeopntdermØ baenr d 2 C0 h18ild,  rwehni csh M winil il s hteo rl dS  ethnea  tgoorv Se arnmm ent,  another to ensure that:

legislators and the public service to account for improving safeguarding and

care and upholding the rights of every child in the island.

We will listen directly to children and young people

The Pledge was launched as a commitment to the Government of Jersey putting  and involve them in how we design, deliver and

children first and speeding up the pace of change, following the Jersey Care  review our services

Commission s report on the Ofsted Inspection of Children s Services and as part

of the response to the Jersey Care Inquiry. We will provide integrated support for families that

need extra help caring for their children

We will provide all children in our care with access to a safe, loving, secure home environment

We will expand, join up and target our early help offer to ensure that children and young people get the support they need when they need it, to prevent risk and issues from escalating

We will work together to recruit and retain a child-centred, stable, highly professional workforce

We will make it easier for data and insight across organisations to be shared so that, when assessing how best to meet their needs, we look at children s and young people s lives as a whole

We will ensure be effective and that any regulatory and legislative changes needed will be progressed swiftly

We will work together to ensure that we set and publish clear standards and be held publicly to account for achieving them

All children in Jersey Grow up Safely

What does it mean to you to grow up safely in Jersey?

To be told that you can be safe while

growing up lifts a weight off of your

shoulders. When you look on the news and

see all the crimes and atrocities happening

all around the world to children, teenagers

and adults alike you can become scared. To

be told you are not going to be a victim Shanice, St Saviour s School of that is reassuring and will most likely

bolster children's and my own confidence.

Growing up safely also means at home

and at school, when you are at home you should be living in a stable environment and at school you should feel supported

by teachers and friends. Knowing that this will become a reality will encourage me and other children to learn and develop.

Daniel, Victoria College

Darcey,   Sophia, St John s School, Year 6 d Auvergne School, Year 4

Georgia  

Jersey College Prep, Year 6

Appendix 2: Priorities for Action

MORE ABOUT OUTCOME 2:

All children in Jersey Learn and Achieve

AMBITION KEY POLICY AREAS

We want all children to have the best start in life and go on to achieve    Education Policy their full potential.    Skills Strategy

 Higher Education WHY? Strategy

Today s children will determine Jersey s future as they become    Early Years Strategy tomorrow s citizens. Development in a child s early years is an    Sports Strategy important predictor of success in later life. Children who access a high    Disability Strategy

quality early learning experience are likely to achieve better results    Countryside Access at the end of both primary and secondary school. Education plays a  Strategy

key role in determining how someone spends their adult life. Young

people leaving education and training prematurely run a greater risk of    Innovation Strategy struggling to find employment and are more likely to work in insecure    Enterprise Strategy and low-paid jobs or experience longer periods of unemployment later    Carers Strategy

in life.

Daniel,

Le Rocquier School, Year 7

What does it mean to you to learn  and acheive?

I believe that learn and Achieve means

for children to be able to be educated and

to be able to be well educated. Also, this means that a child could be recognised after achieving something as their goal or what not. Personally I think that children should be recognised for their achievements because it can give them a huge boost in confidence and can also push them to try harder and produce their very best.

Kate,

Le Rocquier School , Year 7

HOW WE  KEY INSIGHTS WANT TO MAKE

A DIFFERENCE

Reduce the number  Persistent absence is defined as 90% attendance or below. It is a bigger of pupils who  issue in secondary schools and for children in receipt of Jersey Premium are recorded as  Persistent absence may be related to: Mental health/emotional persistently absent  wellbeing (pupil or family); Physical health; Attitudes about school from school (pupil and family) and the importance of doing well; School behaviour;

Previous school experience, including attainment; Socio-economic factors

Increase the number  Early Learning Goals were introduced to Jersey in 2015/16

of four and five year  The specific early learning goals with the lowest percentage of children olds achieving the  achieving the expected standard are: writing (61%); numbers (71%) and expected level in the  reading (72%)

Early Learning Goals

Parenting and the home environment are important to a child being ready for nursery

High quality child care has a positive influence through the child s academic journey

Increase the number  Children in receipt of Jersey Premium, those with English as an

of pupils achieving  additional language (EAL) or Special Educational Needs (SEN) are much five or more good  less likely to achieve five or more standard GCSEs

GCSEs including  In 2017 61% of all pupils, 29% of pupils in receipt of Jersey Premium, English and  44% of pupils with EAL and 53% of pupils with SEN, attained five or Mathematics  more standard GCSEs

The progress pupils make while at secondary school is measured by comparing their GCSE results with expectations based on their primary school performance. This measure is known as value added .

Reduce the number  Jersey s compulsory school age may contribute to the risk of young

of young people who  people becoming NEET

are not in education,  Key risk factors nationally include: Low educational attainment at emploment or  GCSE; health problems, caring responsibilities and difficult family training (NEET) circumstances; difficult labour market conditions, a lack of training and

apprenticeship opportunities and welfare support providing a higher income than potential wages

Olga and Michal, Plat Douet School

Scarlett and Sophie  Samars School

Beatrix Highlands College

All children in Jersey Live Healthy Lives

AMBITION KEY POLICY AREAS

We want children to be heard, valued and involved in the decisions    Public Health Strategies that affect their everyday lives, regardless of where they live or the    Mental Health Strategy school they go to.

 Disability Strategy

 Sustainable Transport WHY?

 Policy

Good health is an essential foundation for children s quality of life.    St Helier Masterplan Often healthy behaviours (e.g. a balanced diet, regular exercise    Primary Care Strategy avoidance of tobacco and alcohol) established in childhood can    Open Space Strategy last into adulthood and reduce the chances of developing a chronic

condition later in life. There can be no health without mental health,    Culture Strategy

yet demand for child mental health services are continuing to increase.

Timely access to health services is important in securing a healthy start

to life. In addition, wider factors such as good quality housing, active

transport, and access to parks and countryside are recognised as

having a key role to play in supporting healthy childhoods.

HOW WE  KEY INSIGHTS

WANT TO MAKE

A DIFFERENCE

Increase the number  Average BMI has stayed the same since 2011 but hides variations

of Year 6 pupils who  Cost of fresh food is higher than processed alternatives - impacting low are a healthy weight incomes families

High employment rates challenge family and work-life balance

Variation in exercise and fresh food consumption can be shown according to ethnicity and school

Rates of breastfeeding initiation are lower than European average but similar to England s average

Increase the number  Percentage of 2 year olds reaching their developmental milestone is

of two year olds  already good

who reach their  Delay in communication domains are the most common factor in a child developmental  not reaching their milestones locally

milestones in all

domains Parenting and home learning environment critical to achieving

developmental goals

The new Early Years Quality Framework was introduced in September 2018

Reduce the number  Increasing number of children in the Community Dental Service seen of under 18s who  for teeth extraction

require a dental  Timely access to the Community Dental Service is a key issue extraction

Children who attend States primary schools, are of Portuguese ethnicity or who live in single parent households were least likely to have visited a dentist in the previous year

Increase the number  Jersey children s Health Related Quality of Life score is slightly lower of pupils who report  than European average

they have a good  Increasing trend over years on low levels of self-esteem among young quality of life people

13% of Jersey children lived in households below relative low-income threshold. 44% of single-parent households find it difficult to cope.

Access to communal spaces and social/recreational activities likely to be key factors in reporting a good quality life.

What does it mean to you to live a  healthy life?

Student Voice' - to have our say in what goes into healthy life-styles section of the children and young people's plan.

Access to wellbeing facilities such as a wellbeing room, sensory room, chill out

areas, school counsellor, key worker and Molly and Harriet,  CAMHS.

La Moye School, Year 6

Promote good feel factor by praising and recognising things that are done well by children and young people.

School day is structured so that no home work is necessary. This will relieve stress

Mia,

La Sente School

Livi and Helier  

Les Landes School , Year 6

Megan,

Mont Nicolle School ,  Year 4

Luca,

Austin,

Sam,

Victoria College Prep, Year 6 Les Quennevais School, Year 10

All children in Jersey are Valued and Involved

What does it mean to you to feel valued and involved?

I am care experienced and to be quite

honest, I own it and I think so should

everyone else. If someone has experience Pedro and Krystal,  of care, they shouldn't be stigmatised for Mont l AbbØ School it, we shouldn't be made to feel like less

of a person. We have experience that

makes us the person we are today and I

love that!

I have a full-time job, I also work alongside some of the most influential people in Jersey. I am going to travel to some of the coolest places on the planet.

I have people around me that I couldn't adore more than I already do and I am

care experienced. So, if someone tells you, that you can't do something because you're care experienced, they are wrong because someone's experience doesn't disable them as a person, it enables them!

Jay  

Jersey Cares

Gabriel,   Grouville School

Diana,

Haute VallØe School

Appendix 3: Planning bookcase

Planning the Children and Young People s Plan

Government

Plan

Common  Children Strategic  and Young

Policy People's Plan

Be Be Learn and Valued and Safe Healthy Achieve Involved

Key Policy Areas Key Policy Areas Key Policy Areas Key Policy Areas

Children's Services Public Health  Education Policy Children and Services Improvement Plan Strategies Skills Strategy Improvement Plan

Corporate Parenting  Food and Nutrition  Higher Education  Corporate Parenting

Policy Strategy Strategy Policy

Community Safety  Mental Health strategy Early Years Strategy Disability Strategy Strategy Disability Strategy Sports Strategy Income Support Policy

Criminal Justice Policy Sustainable Transport  Disability Strategy Housing Strategy Domestic Abuse  Policy Countryside Access  Migration Policy

Strategy St Helier Masterplan Strategy

Child Exploitation  Housing Strategy

Strategy Primary Care Strategy

Cyber Security  Open Space Strategy

Strategy

Disability Strategy

Appendix 4: Common Values

Putting Children First

1 One Aim

All children and young people

flourish in Jersey

2 Two Key Questions

We will always ask:

Is this good enough for

my child?

What do children think?

3 Three Passions 4 Four Outcomes Our Passions are: All Children in Jersey:

Protecting Children's Rights Grow up Safely

Reducing Inequalities Live Healthy Lives Promoting Wellbeing  Learn and Achieve Valued and Involved

5 Five guiding

Principles

We will always: Listen and involve

Think family and community Work in partnership Celebrate diversity

Offer help early

For more information about the Children s Plan, please visit gov.je/childrensplan