Strategy for children and families for the next five years launched.

A new strategy for how the council and partners will deliver services for children and young people in Tower Hamlets was launched this week at a family fun day at Meath Gardens Children’s Centre with around 100 children and parents.

Councillor Danny Hassell, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Young People who chairs the Children and Families Partnership Board,said: “I’m delighted to launch our new Children and Families Strategy following extensive consultation with children, young people and their families.  Every Chance for Every Child is our partnership ambition for Tower Hamlets and will drive our work going forward. We are committed to every child being healthy, happy, safe and successful. This strategy sets out the actions we will take to make this vision a reality. We are determined to build on our successes and go further so that every child really does have every chance here in Tower Hamlets.

The three priority areas of the strategy are the following:

Aspiration to action – where children and young people can access relevant support to prepare for the future, take advantage of the opportunities available to them and be empowered by support from parents to pursue their aspirations.

Healthy families – where children, young people and families access the wide range of care play and support options and demonstrate healthy behaviours.

Safe and secure –where children, young people and families support one another in challenging unsafe behaviours, they understand how to keep themselves safe, and children, young people and families feel safe in their local area.

Alex Nelson, Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum Co-ordinator at the Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets said: “This strategy sets out a strong plan that will define and measure the actions that the council and partners will take to serve children, young people and families in Tower Hamlets. The voluntary sector and partners have been central in developing the plan and I welcome its potential to make a difference to the lives of children, young people and families.”

The strategy sets out both the aspirations for children young people and families and the measures that will be used to judge on their delivery.

It will be regularly monitored and delivered by the Children and Families Partnership Board, working across the council with other strategic decision makers such as the NHS, the Metropolitan Police and Tower Hamlets Community for Voluntary service (thcvs).