Kids launch drive to make Leeds the best city for children to grow up in

Pupils from Castleton Primary School and Bankside Primary launch the childrens version of the citys Children and Young Peoples plan with Coun Lucinda Yeadon and Nigel Richardson, director of Children's Services. Picture Tony Johnson

Children from primary schools in the city have helped to launch a child-friendly version of the Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan 2015-2019, which puts a “relentless focus” on improvement.

Leeds Council used ideas and feedback from pupils in primary and secondary schools across the city to develop the kids version of the plan, which includes puzzles, word searches and pictures to colour in, which will be distributed around the city.

The plan aims to make things better for children and young people and sets out how organisations such as the council, the police, schools, volunteers, social workers, doctors and others who work in hospitals or medical centres, can do their bit to make it happen.

The key aims are to make sure children and young people are safe; do well in learning; are healthy; have fun; feel listened to and; feel that what they say matters.

Most important of all will be reducing the number of children looked after and those not in education, employment and training, and improving school attendance.

Coun Lucinda Yeadon, executive member for children and families said: “Our ambition is to make Leeds a child friendly city and listening to our children and young people and taking account of their views is a big part of our work to achieve this.

“This version of the city’s Children and Young People’s Plan has been designed in consultation with pupils from primary and secondary schools to make sure that it is appealing to them. It’s also a really good way for us to share our vision directly with children and to raise their awareness of what we are doing to make Leeds the best city for them to live and grow up in. Children and young people are the future of our city, which is why we have put them at the heart of the growth strategy.

“We want Leeds to be a compassionate city with a strong economy, and it is really important that all our children and young people are supported to achieve their full potentials.”

Leeds is the only core city to have its children’s services rated as ‘good’ overall with ‘outstanding’ leadership by Ofsted.

Leeds is now one of just three local authorities chosen by the Department for Education’s to work with other local authorities to support better outcomes. In December 2015, the government acknowledged Leeds as an ‘exemplar’ children’s services.