influence
A core element of the work of G:up is about influencing strategy and policy that impacts upon children, young people and families.Local Children's Trusts
Follow the links below to find out more about the Children's Trust in your local area and to see who your voluntary and community sector representative is.
NB THIS INFO IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT JULY 2007
Stoke on Trent
Children and Young People's Plan
Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership Board
To find out more about the Children and Young People's Plan, please e-mail:
Or you can call 01782 234847.
Staffordshire
Staffordshire Children's Trust
For any enquiries relating to Staffordshire Children's Trust, please contact:
Pam Goodwin, Staffordshire Children's Trust Manager, tel: 01785 277116,
email: pam.goodwin@staffordshire.gov.uk
District and borough Children's Trusts and contact details
Children and Young People's Plan
LAA Children and young people's block
Telford and Wrekin
Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership Board
Children and Young People's Plan
Shropshire
Shropshire Children’s Trust is a strategic partnership of agencies responsible for services for children and young people. By working together, and with children, young people and families, the Children’s Trust sets strategic direction, identifies priorities, monitors progress, and identifies or pools budgets to meet needs to improve outcomes for children and young people.
It leads on implementation of our agreed vision: 'In Shropshire, all children and young people matter. We will work together and in partnership with families and carers to give every child and young person the best opportunities today and for the future.'
Voluntary and Community Sector Forum
Shropshire Children's Trust in partnership with local voluntary and community organisations have developed the 'VCS Summit'.
This forum has been established to improve opportunities for all non-for-profit organisations (including charities, voluntary and community organisations) that provide services for children, young people and their families to participate in the working of Shropshire Children's Trust.
The Summit meetings provide:
- Information and presentations on Shropshire Children's Trust activities.
- Networking opportunities and information exchange for voluntary and community organisations.
- Elections for representatives to sit on Shropshire Children's Trust and its sub-groups.
For further information to join the Summit membership, contact Jade Brooks at jade.brooks@shropshire-cc.gov.uk.
Birmingham
Solihull
Solihull One Voice the Solihull Children and Young People's Trust
For further information regarding Solihull Children and Young People's Trust please contact:
Ben Lewing - Change for Children Programme Manager
0121 704 6691
blewing@solihull.gov.uk
Worcestershire
Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership
Children and Young People's Plan
For more information about the Children and Young People's Plan contact Richard Hubbard on 01905 766686 or email rhubbard@worcestershire.gov.uk
Herefordshire
Children and Young People's Plan
Children and Young People's Partnership
If there are any queries about current work please contact Philippa Granthier, Business Manager on 01432 260801.
VCS involvement in Children's Trusts
The attached document brings together evaluation and development work carried out in Worcestershire, Stoke on Trent and Birmingham around voluntary and community sector involvement in Children's Trusts in winter/spring 2008. The work was funded through the VCS Engage programme and based upon the Self Evaluation Template for local authorities developed by VCS Engage. It was carried out in partnership with Worcestershire CVYS, VCS Matters and Stoke Children's Fund and coordinated by G:up with the support of Government Office West Midlands.
Every Child Matters
Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:
Be healthy
Stay safe
Enjoy and achieve
Make a positive contribution to society
Achieve economic well-being
These are the ''five outcomes'' commonly refered to. More information about Every Child Matters (ECM) can be found at www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
For specific information about the role of the voluntary and community sector see Working with Voluntary and Community Organisations to Deliver Change for Children and Young People
What 700 under 12s have to say about Every Child Matters
A report is now available for download presenting the results of a consultation with 700 children on the outcomes of Every Child Matters.
Youth Matters
On 18 July 2005 the Government published the Youth Green Paper, Youth Matters. It addresses key issues relating to how we support and challenge our teenagers:
We want young people to have more things to do and places to go in their local area
Better information
Advice and guidance about issues that matter to them, delivered in the way they want to receive it
Better support for those who have more serious problems
Building on the ambition of Every Child Matters, which promotes the idea that all young people should achieve five key outcomes (being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being)
Youth Matters aims to radically re-shape services for young people
Follow this link to find out more http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/youth/
NCVYS Policy Briefing
For an overview of the Green Paper read the NCVYS Policy Briefing
Putting spending power into the hands of young people –Youth Matters
Seen on the ukPlayworkers e-group At first glance this may seem empowering, but hang on, young people don't need to pay anything or only a nominal sum for youth clubs and adventure playgrounds. It means that commercial provision, such as sports and leisure centres will get the tax payers money, instead of it being invested in youth and play services. Are the government reinventing the discredited voucher schemes the Tories would have introduced for U5's provision if they had won the 97 election? Other right wing ideas have been to give people vouchers equivalent to the cost of other public services, such as health care and primary and secondary education, to be spent on "private" provision, in an attempt to dismantle state provision, free at point of access. Will we risk turning our work into a commercial beauty contest, with swipe card entry to parks and play areas debiting a child's "activity account"? There will be a consultation period lasting until the autumn, I think we need to ensure the play sector argues for play provision properly funded by local authorities. Is there a youth work equivalent to UK Playworkers to cross-post this on? Alan Sutton 'Playing Up'Region's response to Youth Matters
Read the attached document to find out how youth workers from around the region responded to Youth Matters at the Regional Consultation Event on 17 October .
ContactPoint contacts for the West Midlands
| Local Authority | CP Lead Officer | Telephone | ||||
| Birmingham | Roger Minchin | roger_minchin@birmingham.gov.uk | 01214643074 | |||
| Coventry | Alan Barry | alan.barry@coventry.gov.uk | 02476833925 | |||
| Dudley | Dean Woodhouse | dean.woodhouse@dudley.gov.uk | 01384818094 | |||
| Herefordshire | Derek Forknall | dforknall@herefordshire.gov.uk | 01432383438 | |||
| Sandwell | Denise Williams | denise_williams@sandwell.gov.uk | 01216121742 | |||
| Shropshire | Laura Johnston | laura.johnston@shropshire-cc.gov.uk | 01743253875 | |||
| Solihull | John McHale | jmchale@solihull.gov.uk | 01217048199 | |||
| Staffordshire | Mike Wood | mike.wood@staffordshire.gov.uk | 01785854017 | |||
| Stoke | Lyndsay Smith | lyndsay.smith@northstaffs.nhs.uk | 01782298147 | |||
| Telford | Paul Woods | paul.woods@telford.gov.uk | 01952385072 | |||
| Walsall | Clint Osborne | osbornec@walsall.gov.uk | 01922658369 | |||
| Warwickshire | Mark Payne | markpayne@warwickshire.gov.uk | 01926742352 | |||
| Wolverhampton | Nicky Schneider | nicky.schneider@wolverhampton.gov.uk | 01902555035 | |||
| Worcestershire | Mike Lambert | mlambert2@worcestershire.gov.uk | 01905766348 | |||
| DCSF Regional Implementation Coordinator - West Midlands | ||||||
| Joe Colleran | joe.colleran@atkinsglobal.com | 07885 485787 | ||||
Regional Strategic Organisations
Regions are playing an increasingly important role, and more and more organisations now operate on a regional level. Here are some of the ones you can find in the West Midlands: Advantage West Midlands http://www.advantagewm.co.uk/home-page.html
The Regional Development Agency for the UK's Industrial, Agricultural and Commercial Heartland'' Advantage West Midlands is one of nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) established by the Government in 1999 to transform England's regions through sustainable economic development. Connexions http://www.connexions.gov.uk
See the Connexions Partnerships operating in the West Midlands http://www.connexions.gov.uk/partnerships/index.cfm?CategoryID=4&RegionID=WM
Find out about the voluntary and community sector and strategic involvement in Connexions Involving the Voluntary and Community Sector in Connexions http://www.connexions.gov.uk/partnerships/publications/uploads/cp/Involving%20VCS%20in%20Connexions.PDF
Government Office for the West Midlands GOWM http://www.go-wm.gov.uk/
''The face of central Government in the West Midlands and the voice of the West Midlands in Government.'' Among it's many responsibilities, Government Office for the West Midlands co-ordinates a number of regional activities aimed at Children and Young People, including: Sure Start, Children’s Fund, Connexions, Positive Activities for Young People, Millennium Volunteers, Transforming Youth Work, Children and Young People Policy For more information on these initiatives click here http://www.gowm.gov.uk/gowm/149817/?a=42496
Race Equality West Midlands http://www.rewm.org/index.htm
Working with the Commission for Racial Equality and Government Office for the West Midlands in partnership with the local authorities and other statutory, voluntary and private organisations for a just society which gives everyone an equal chance to learn, work and live, free from discrimination and prejudice, and from the fear of racial harassment and violence !RegenWM http://www.regenwm.org ''Regeneration Centre of Excellence for the West Midlands'' We are one of the regional centres being set up in England to promote good practice and better skills in regeneration. We respond to local need and to the Government's Sustainable Communities agenda. We are supported by ODPM, the Regional Development Agency and others. Our vision is simply to make regeneration easier to achieve in the West Midlands.
Regional Health Development Agency http://www.hda-online.org.uk/html/about/west_midlands.html
Working regionally to improve people's health and to address health inequalities.
Sustainability West Midlands http://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk ''Working together for a better region'' We are the independent champion of sustainable development in the West Midlands. Our membership is drawn from a variety of organisations and businesses across the region.
West Midlands Business Council http://www.wmra.gov.uk/business_policy_group.htm
The West Midlands Business Council (WMBC) is the only representative regional business organisation in the UK, comprising national and regional business bodies who have united to present the business perspective on the regional agenda.
West Midlands Higher Education Association http://www.wmhea.ac.uk/flashintro.html Members of West Midlands Higher Education Association (WMHEA) include all thirteen institutions of the West Midlands. They offer a broad range of services to West Midlands businesses. WMHEA aims to help universities and HE colleges realise their potential regional contribution to the economy and society. West Midlands Learning and Skills Councils The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England. Find out more about what the local Learning and Skills Councils in the West Midlands are doing http://www.lsc.gov.uk/selectlsc.asp?section=/Corporate
West Midlands Life http://www.westmidlandslife.org.uk
West Midlands Life is one of eight Regional Cultural Consortiums in England set up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sports. West Midlands Local Government Association WMLGA http://www.wmlga.gov.uk/ WMLGA is a voluntary association of the 38 local authorities (County, District, Metropolitan and Unitary) in the West Midlands Region - comprising the West Midlands Metropolitan area and the Counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
West Midlands Regional Assembly http://www.wmra.gov.uk ''Speaking out for the Region'' The West Midlands Regional Assembly is uniquely placed as the only organisation able to speak out with a single, coherent voice on all the important issues that affect our region. We work with a range of social and economic partners, forming strategic partnerships to develop policies and strategies that address these issues.
Regional Strategy and Policy
Regional Agenda
The regional agenda is a fast developing one. Historically there have been different perceptions about what regions are but, with the governments push towards a more devolved and decentralised government, with the support of English regions and the rolling out of the “modernising local democracy agenda”, more and more strategic and policy decisions will be taken at the regional level. The most notable additions to the regional structures were Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and Regional Assemblies. Government sees RDAs as key to addressing the “economic deficit” in regions and driving up regions Gross Domestic Product to better compete with European regions. Regional Assemblies were initially seen as addressing the “democratic deficit” created when RDAs were set up accountable directly to ministers. Additionally government has placed an increasing emphasis on the participation of the voluntary and community sectors and local communities in tackling social exclusion both through contributing towards policy and in the provision of services.
Refugee Children's Integration Project
Refugee Children’s’ Integration Project – R-CHiP – Phase 1 Report
The R-CHiP Report which can be found at: http://www.wmlga.gov.uk/page.asp?id=385 is part of a 3-phase action-research based project jointly undertaken by Marchbid Ltd and the West Midlands Consortium for Asylum & Refugee Support. The overriding aim is that the findings of this project will lead to the development and implementation of a regional integration strategy for refugee children living in the West Midlands.
Growing Up in the West Midlands is working with Marchbid to explore ways of enaging children and young people from around the region in the next phase of this project.
VCS Engage
The purpose of the VCS Engage programme is to engage the Voluntary and Community Sector in the new framework for planning, commissioning and delivering services for children, young people and families. This will be achieved through tailored training packages, equipping the sector with the skills and knowledge they need to engage with Local Authorities and work within the ECM agenda.
Find out more by visiting http://www.vcsengage.org.uk/
The programme is funded by the Department for Education and Skills. The central team is based at NCB. The regional team is co-ordinated by NCVCCO. We at G:up are managing the delivery of the programme in the West Midlands as part of the regional work.
Capacitybuilders
http://www.capacitybuilders.org.uk/