Our vision

The vision represents our shared ambition to improve the lives of all children and young people in Sunderland, and to prepare them well for adulthood.

To deliver this vision, a framework for improving outcomes for all children and young people has been developed around a service delivery model that will provide universal, targeted and specialist services. These are defined as:

• Universal services: services for all children and young people and families
• Targeted services: services for children and young people and families living in particular areas and/or with identified needs
• Specialist services: services for children and young people and families with complex needs and/or children and young people at high risk

The focus is on early identification of need, early intervention and prevention, with clarity in individual cases about the need for targeted services and, in time, reduced demand on specialist services providing opportunity for re-investment.

In Sunderland, children and young people are at the centre of services provided for them. There is no sole provider of services and the achievement of our vision requires the continued development of key relationships between all partners across the city.

We need to continue to build upon the development of integrated services through strengthening the working relationship between partners. This is all part of our shared journey, continually being shaped by radical changes in legislation and policy, through the Children Act 2004 and ‘Every Child Matters: Change For Children’ ( 743kb).

The key focus for ongoing partnership work must be the 5 outcomes for children and young people:

• Be healthy
• Stay safe
• Enjoy and achieve
• Make a positive contribution
• Achieve economic well-being

Partners will continue to work together and in partnership with children, young people and families, not to represent the interests of service providers but to ensure life chances for children and young people are sustained and enhanced.

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Our values and principles

Our values are the key to how we work together for children and young people across the city. They are the drivers in our working lives, regulating our behaviour and enabling a consistent response to children and young people so that everyone working in children’s and young people’s services is truly putting children, young people and families at the centre of our thinking and actions.

The principles underpin how we work, making sure that we consistently engage in activities to better the lives of children and young people by enhancing our understanding, skills, experience and resources.

Our shared core values across the Children’s Trust are:

• Valuing people: having respect and trust for all people, valuing diversity and actively promoting equality
• Delivering results: focusing on and delivering high quality services that improve life opportunities for children, young people and their families
• Openness: being honest about our achievements and aspirations now and in the future
• A positive outlook: being outward looking, making a positive difference, and creating opportunities with all partners

Our shared core principles are:

• Celebrating the achievements of children and young people
• Having every child and young person at the heart of all we do
• Being focussed on better outcomes
• Providing access to early support
• Actively encouraging participation
• Maintaining the highest standards
• Working in partnership

Our “Change for Children and Young People” strategy

There are a number of changes that we need to make to the way in which we deliver services. The Children's Trust established a series of priorities around some of those in the 2006/7 plan.
Progress on those and direction of travel on other changes will form the basis of an over-arching strategy – the Change for Children and Young People Strategy – which will be brought together by April 2008.

Beyond 2009

As we move forward to think beyond 2009 we need to be sure that we are continuing to meet the constantly evolving needs and aspirations of children and young people across the city. To do this we need to continue to work hard at listening and gathering their views. We need to ensure that through joint planning and commissioning arrangements we are targeting our resources for the best and maximum impact as defined by the assessment of children’s and young people’s needs. We expect to see, beyond 2009 services that:

• Focus on early intervention and prevention – offering enhanced support through universal services to families when needed
• Are planned and delivered around the needs of the whole family
• Involve children, young people and families in planning and evaluating services
• Are locally accessible – in communities
• Provide Information for service users, presented in clear, jargon free language and in more accessible formats
• Continue to focus on improvement of measurable outcomes
• Have a workforce that delivers improving outcomes through more effective ways of working
• Demonstrate improved outcomes through effective integrated partnership working and information sharing

The Local Authority's partners in the Children's Trust are:

• Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust
• The Strategic Health Authority
• Connexions
• The Learning and Skills Council
• The Youth Offending Service
• Northumbria Police

The following organisations are also centrally involved in arrangements to improve children’s well being:

• Schools
• City of Sunderland College
• Sunderland University
• Youth Parliament and Schools Councils
• City Hospitals Sunderland
• South of Tyne and Wearside Mental Health NHS Trust
• GPs
• Dentists
• Sunderland Housing Group
• Probation
• The Voluntary and Community Sector
• Other organisations and professionals whose services contribute to children’s well being.