Children and young people

Helping support and safeguard vulnerable children and young people

Medway’s children and young people’s strategic partnership published its first Children and Young People’s Plan in 2006. It sets Medway’s vision for its 69,000 children and young people:

Our plan is for every child in Medway to lead a healthy and enjoyable life, safe from harm and neglect. Each child will get the support they need to grow in confidence, helping them overcome barriers in their lives. Children will be the very best people they can be. They will learn to help others and develop the qualities they need for a fulfilling and happy adulthood.
(Children and Young People’s Plan 2006-2009, Medway Council).

Medway Council and its partners believe that Medway should be a place where “everyone working with children is committed to early support and intervention”.

Six priorities drive the Children and Young People’s Plan, the first and foremost being to “safeguard children and young people in Medway who are vulnerable or otherwise at risk”.

Lord Laming, who led the public inquiry into the murder of Victoria Climbié, emphasised the need for everyone to work together to safeguard children, said:

“The well-being and safety of children cannot be achieved by one agency alone but will continue to depend upon each of the key agencies fulfilling their distinctive and separate duties. Actual change is required if the safety and welfare of children is not to depend to an unacceptable degree on the personal working relationships of individual professionals.”

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