Agenda item

Report of the Director: Governance and Partnerships

The Director: Governance and Partnerships submitted a reportproviding the Cabinet with an update and overview of Young Voice and North Lincolnshire Youth Council (NLYC) roles, activities, participation and engagement over the last year and further planned progress into next year.

The report explained that The NLYC was a constituted group of young people who came together to be the vehicle for Young Voice in North Lincolnshire. The NLYC aimed to:

·         Communicate and promote the views of young people

·         Raise the profile of young people in a positive way

·         Encourage young people to be good citizens, so they act with understanding and communicate between themselves and their communities

·         Highlight issues affecting young people, and

·         Shape and influence priority setting, service planning and delivery and ensure the views of young people, ‘young voice’ are taken into account by North Lincolnshire Council and its partners.

The Council was committed to engaging with children, young people and their families at an individual, service and strategic level and continued to invest in and support the NLYC to ensure that the viewsand experiences of children and young people were integral to priority setting, strategy, service delivery and commissioning.

The Director in her report stated that over the past year, the NLYC had adapted to the restrictions brought about by Covid 19, maintained membership and meetings, debated on and influenced a number of initiatives and issues, for example: 

·         Emotional health and wellbeing including the CYPP Transformation Plan, Life Central ‘app’ and website review

·         Consultation with Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner regarding crime reporting processes and development of young people's panel

·         Revision of Education Transitions Leaflet

·         SENDIASS film and resources development

·         Consultation as part of the Integrated Transport Strategy

·         Review of Virtual Learning during Covid Restrictions and co -designing best practice guide

·         Young people's use of local green spaces and parks

·         Environmental and Climate Crisis awareness and change

·         Promoting the value of young voice to parish/town councils, and

·         Young people represented at civic occasions, Remembrance and Holocaust Memorial Services. 

Also, achievements and wider young voice headlines were summarised under the following headings –

·         Young Mayor's Environment Award        

·         Tough Mudder Challenge

·         Un-Filtered (on BBC Radio Humberside).

·         Regional Youth Climate Assembly

·         Positive Steps - Emotional Health and Wellbeing Group and CCG

·         NLYC Pandemic regular communication, welfare checks and safe activities

·         Develop life skills - First Aid Course, and

·         Representation – NLYC was a member of the Children and Young People's Partnership           

The Young Voice Plan 2021/22 as a live document included reference to the Youth Elections for the Member of Youth Parliament and Young Mayor in February 2022, further recruitment to the Youth Council through visiting schools and colleges, participating in the British Youth Council ‘Make Your Mark’, a visit to the House of Commons and Westminster following an invitation from the Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe, and Little Libraries and Environmental Voice activities.

Isobel Andrews, chair of the Youth Council attended the meeting and gave a summary of recent successes and achievements of the Youth Council and Young Voice, and thanked members for their continuing support, engagement and participation at Youth Council and Young Voice activities.

           Resolved – (a) That the report be received and noted, (b) that Cabinet and all members continue to support the role, activities, participation and engagement of local young people in the NLYC and Young Voice, and (c) that Isobel Andrews be thanked for attending the meeting and for her informative summary/presentation.