Young Southwark

We want Southwark to be a place where every child and young person can have high expectations and the best opportunities. We will work together with children, young people and their families so that they can grow up in good health, feeling safe and secure, and realise their full potential.

Young Southwark is our local Children's Trust. It was formerly known as the Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership.

Young Southwark is a partnership to improve the well-being of children and young people in Southwark through closer integration of service planning and delivery. It consists of representatives from key agencies with responsibilities for children and young people, including Southwark Council, Southwark Primary Care Trust, Southwark Police, the Learning and Skills Council, local education and health providers, and voluntary and community bodies, working together with children and young people and their families.

Young Southwark works to promote achievement of the five key outcomes identified through national consultation as the most important to children and young people:

The partnership's vision for children and young people is described in the Children and Young People's Plan. The plan sets out how local services will work together to improve the lives of children, young people and their families. Ten priorities have been established:

Outcomes:

  1. Improved literacy and numeracy
  2. Reduced rates of teenage pregnancy
  3. Reduced incidence of crime against children and young people
  4. More for children and young people to do
  5. Reduced rates of childhood obesity

Service developments:

  1. co-ordinated development of community networks, extended schools and children's centres
  2. Redesigned services for children with disabilities, complex and continuing care needs
  3. Common tools and processes
  4. Children, young people and their families participate more actively in service design and delivery
  5. Raised lewvels of awareness of child protection across the system

The key decision-making body for the partnership is the Young Southwark Executive, chaired by the Director of Children's Services, Romi Bowen.

The Executive is supported by a broader structure of groups which focus on particular groups of children and areas for change. These structures enable a broad range of partners to be involved in the work of the partnership, keep informed and influence decisions.

The Southwark Safeguard Children Board works closely with Young Southwark as part of these structures but also has its own statutory accountability.

For further information, click here or you can subscribe to Young Southwark News and Updates, a monthly update on progress in implementing Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004.

Email: youngsouthwark@southwark.gov.uk

Contact: elaine.allegretti@southwark.gov.uk 

To view the 2008 Young Southwark Executive Meetings Schedule please click here.

Click this link to view A Guide to Southwark's Partnerships