Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Council recently received an invitation from the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP), to participate in the consultation on the draft Northern Ireland Children and Young People’s Plan 2019-2021, a copy of which is provided at Appendix 1.

1.2       Full details of the consultation are available at the following link Consultation: Draft Northern Ireland Children and Young People’s Plan 2019-2021 Members should note that although the consultation closed on 30 August 2019, Council has been granted an extension to this date, to allow members to consider and agree the Council’s response.

1.3       The aim of the consultation is to seek views on what the CYCSP should be addressing to improve outcomes for children and young people across Northern Ireland.

1.4       The purpose of this report is to:

·        inform Members of the CYCSP consultation exercise; and

·        seek approval of the proposed consultation response from Council, which is attached at Appendix 2.

1.5       Subject to approval by this Committee, it is proposed that a final consultation response is submitted to the CYPSP, with the proviso that, the response is subject to full Council approval at its meeting on 1 October 2019.  

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to

·        Consider the proposed consultation response to the draft Northern Ireland Children and Young People’s Plan and endorse the response to the CYPSP.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       The CYPSP is a multiagency strategic partnership, comprising senior leaders from all key agencies across statutory, voluntary and community sectors that have responsibility for improving outcomes for all children and young people in NI.

3.2       The CYPSP has been developed and supported by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) to support the Children’s Services Planning process.

3.3       The draft Northern Ireland Children and Young People’s Plan 2019-2021 is the third CYPSP Children and Young People’s Plan. The initial CYPSP plan covered the period 2011-2014, the second plan covered the period 2014-2017 following which it was reviewed and extended annually, to cover the period up to March 2019.

3.4       In line with the Children’s Services Planning Guidance the CYPSP had agreed to move its planning cycle to align with the Programme for Government (PfG) and Comprehensive Spending Review.

3.5       The Children (1995 Order) (Amendment) (Children’s Services Planning) Order (Northern Ireland) 1998 allows for either a modification of an existing plan (2(b)(i)) or a new plan (2(b)(ii)). This is a new plan and it is intended to sit within the context of the Programme for Government, the new Children and Young People’s Strategy and refreshed Families Matter.

3.6       The overall work of the CYPSP is encapsulated in this plan and the supporting plans produced by the Outcomes, Locality and Regional Planning Groups. Full versions of these plans are all available on the CYPSP website (www.cypsp.org).

3.7       The draft consultation response is attached at Appendix 2 for Members’ consideration.

3.8       Financial & Resource Implications

            There are no financial or resource implications associated in responding to the consultation.

3.9       Equality or Good Relations Implications

            There are no equality, good relations or rural needs implications in responding to the consultation.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.