Agenda item

RESOLVED:

1.1.          To endorse the work delivered to improve youth safety in the last year.

1.2.          To agree the plan contained in appendix 1 as the three-year delivery plan.

1.3.          To support the development of public health funded initiatives to improve youth safety.

1.4.          To agree the commitments to working with the voluntary sector and communities as outlined in the plan and section 6.

The Executive Mayor introduced the Youth Safety Delivery Plan report highlighting the need to have a clear plan for improving youth safety. The report highlighted the commitments to work closely with the voluntary sector and community partners.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Maria Gatland, addressed Cabinet informing that the Children Social Care department had worked very closely with community safety and the Director of Children Social Care was working closely with Councillor Ola Kolade for this delivery plan. The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Ola Kolade, added that the plan reflected on the huge amount of work produced within the last twelve months, which continued to build and develop. The plan included the partnership of the council, young people, the community partners and residents. Lastly, officers were seeking to identify public health funding to support additional elements in this work.

The Police Inspector Ryan Holliday shared with Cabinet that he looked forward to the progression of the plan and how their service could also contribute and work together with the council.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Amy Foster highlighted points for further explanation in the delivery plan particularly around violence against young women and girls by people they know, and areas for development for sex and related education to keep girls and young women safe from male violence. Her question was around the council’s out of date sex and relationship education scheme of work on the website, how can the council ensure that the future funding and priorities were also looking at the violence against young women and girls and the work to reduce male violence in the borough.

The Executive Mayor thanked Councillor Amy Foster for her comments highlighting that though the plans linked there was a separate delivery plan for the violence against young women and girls, and youth safety. There was ongoing work around each delivery plan which would review points raised.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Enid Mollyneaux, welcomed the content of the delivery plan, and was concerned of the absence of parents within the various plans. Her question asked of where the average person could illustrate and find immediate help to support their family, in terms of stopping young people becoming victims or getting involved in gang activity and criminal activity.

The Executive Mayor informed that the council worked with many community groups with a lot of focus working with the mentoring groups, groups with young people and also with parenting groups, which would be reviewed on the clarity within the delivery plan. The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Ola Kolade, informed that organisations like “Walk With Me” do support parents with youth safety issues, and as part of the delivery plan the council aimed to engage with some of the organisations that were part of the Community Safety Engagement Board to address parent support, noting the voice of parents and young people were important.

The Executive Mayor in Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.1.         To endorse the work delivered to improve youth safety in the last year.

1.2.         To agree the plan contained in appendix 1 as the three-year delivery plan.

1.3.         To support the development of public health funded initiatives to improve youth safety.

1.4.         To agree the commitments to working with the voluntary sector and communities as outlined in the plan and section 6.