Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Youth Development Strategy

The Vale of White Horse District Council has adopted a Youth Development Strategy which sets out the services that it will provide for children and young people (0-19 years old) from 2006-2009. The strategy can be downloaded from the related documents section on the right of the page.

The Council’s plan shows how the services it already contributes to the Oxfordshire Children and Young People’s Plan prepared by Oxfordshire County Council which has the main legal responsibility for ensuring that young people get the services they need. This plan can be downloaded from the right of the page.

The Government wants services for children and young people to improve. In order to achieve an improvement the Children's Act 2004 requires local agencies – county councils, district councils, primary care trusts, Connexions, police, the voluntary sector and others to work in partnership to deliver better services and outcomes.  

The purpose of the strategy

In 2003 the Government Green Paper “Every Child Matters" identified five outcomes which all children and young people are entitled to. These are: 

• Be healthy
• Stay safe
• Enjoy and achieve
• Make a positive contribution
• Achieve economic wellbeing. 

The Children's Act 2004 provides the legal framework to take these proposals forward.

The three-year plan shows how the Council will use its services to contribute to the Oxfordshire Children & Young People's Plan, which has been prepared by Oxfordshire County Council, from now until 2009. The Council does not have the money to provide lots of new services. The plan will concentrate on making sure that the Council's existing services provide the best possible outcome for children and young people in the Vale.

The plan also considers how the Council can improve its services by teaming up with other organisations - from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups - which are involved with providing services to children and young people.

What do we want to achieve?

The Vale Council aims to provide every child and young person the opportunity to:

• Live a healthy life
• Stay safe
• Fulfil their potential
• Get the most out of life and develop the skills for adulthood.

What do we need to do?

We have an ambitious vision that will not be achieved in three years but the Council wants to make sure that it is working in the right direction. The Council will work with other organisations which provide services to children and young people in the Vale, to contribute to the following aims:

• Improving the physical health of children and young people:
• Helping to provide high quality sporting opportunities, at our leisure centres and organising the sports holiday programmes and the Locomotion project; Helping children and young people across the Vale to participate and progress in their chosen sport.    
• Encouraging healthy lifestyles by helping young people to make the decision not to take illegal drugs or get involved in substance misuse or underage drinking: Supporting education programmes at secondary schools in   the Vale and encouraging debates at the Vale Youth Forum meetings.  
• Reducing accidental injury and death amongst children and young people: Supporting education programmes focusing on road safety.  
• Encouraging enterprising and ambitious behaviour: Helping young people to gain sports coaching qualifications and also by encouraging involvement in the Young Enterprise initiative. 
• Helping children and young people achieve personal and social success: Helping to provide sports and arts programmes; the provision of play areas and support for voluntary organisations that provide safe and secure play opportunities.  
• Allowing young people to be involved in decision making: Organising the Vale Youth Forum so that young people can be actively involved in the work of the Council and its partners.  
• Helping children and young people to deal successfully with significant life changes and challenges: Working in partnership with organisations which provide non-judgemental advice and support.  
• Helping young people prepare for the world of work: Offering work experience placements at the Council and encouraging other employers to do the same.  
• Helping children and young people to live in decent homes and communities: helping to improve the standard of housing; reducing the risk of homelessness; helping to provide advice on energy saving and waste reduction and working in partnership with organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Independent Advice Centre which provide advice about claiming state benefits and dealing with debt.