Joint area review

Joint area review of Report for children and young people Northamptonshire

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Report for children and young people about the services they receive in Northamptonshire

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• Being healthy • Staying safe • Enjoying and doing well at school and as they grow up • Making a positive contribution to society • Being successful in whatever they choose to do when they are adults Northamptonshire children and young people’s report 2

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Why should I read this?

The law says that inspectors must look at and then report on how well local services serve children and young people in an area. This is called a “review”. Inspectors visited your area recently. You might like to read this, or the full report, to find out what they had to say.

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What did the inspectors do?

Ten inspectors visited Northamptonshire in January 2006 so they could see what life is like for children and young people in the area. They;

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What did the inspectors do?

™ listened to a number of children and young people they met at youth centres, community centres, a children’s centre and schools, especially in the Kingswood area of Corby, ™ talked with adults working with children and young people (like social workers, teachers, youth workers, nurses, health visitors, doctors, police officers and counsellors), ™ spoke to a few parents, as well as other people caring for children, ™ met with the local Youth Forum, and spoke to young people on school councils. ™ heard from the council and other agencies what it thinks about the services it provides for children, ™ read quite a few reports, and ™ visited services used by children, to see things for themselves.

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What did the inspectors do?

The inspectors also looked at how well particular children are doing (like those with a learning difficulty, or disability or in council care).

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How well are children and young people doing in Northamptonshire?

™ they are generally healthy ™ most appear safe ™ pupils in primary schools do better than those in other parts of the country ™ pupils generally enjoy school and like being able to play sport and music ™ many make a good contribution to their communities ™ more young people at 16 are staying on in education or training ™ children and young people with disabilities get good support. Northamptonshire children and young people’s report 3

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How well are children and young people doing in Northamptonshire?

™ the number of teenage parents is higher than in many other parts of the country ™ some children and young people have to wait too long to get the support and help they need ™ results for pupils in secondary schools are improving, though they are still not as good as they could be. ™ Too many young people leave education and training at 17. ™ Too few young people access youth services activities and support

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your area?

™ They feel generally healthy. ™ Most feel safe at school and in their local area. ™ Many are worried about bullying, both in schools and in their communities. ™ Most enjoy their lives. ™ Most get involved in activities in school or in their local community. ™ They would like more things to do in their local area, which were not too expensive. ™ Most think they are doing quite well at school and would do even better with more lessons, which were fun and interesting. ™ Most think it is easy to have a say in how things are run, both in their local area and in their schools, but do not think that their views make much difference to what happens. ™ Many do not think the quality of their school meals is good.

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in my area?

™ Most services for children and young people are adequate. Education is good. The council and all the other organisations and groups are working hard. Inspectors felt that overall services will continue to get better. ™ Young people are helped to stay healthy in lots of ways. ™ Good family support is in place to help with problems. ™ When children and young people are thought to be at risk of serious harm they have social workers to try and protect them. ™ Children and young people with disabilities are well supported in schools and where they live. Northamptonshire children and young people’s report 4

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in my area?

™ Pupils in primary schools are doing very well and the results for those in secondary schools are improving. ™ Attendance at school is generally good and continuing to get even better. ™ Young people in the care of the council get good support in schools and are helped to make their views heard. ™ Children and young people get help to face changes and cope with personal problems when they need it. ™ There is good work going on to help young people behave better, both in schools and in local areas. ™ More young people aged 14 to 16 are able to choose from a wider range of subjects at schools and colleges. ™ High numbers of 16 year old young people stay on in education or training .

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things better for children and young people?

™ More mothers need help to breastfeed their babies to give them the best start in life. ™ All families with young children need to be encouraged to take up advice and support from their health visitors. ™ Too many teenagers are getting pregnant. ™ Social workers and workers in other agencies need to work together better to make sure that all children are safe. ™ Not all young people who are out of school are getting the right amount of education. ™ The views of all young people should have more effect on how services are run and on deciding how services should be changed or developed. ™ More work needs to be done to help young people who offend get back in to education, training or employment. ™ More leisure and play opportunities are needed, especially in rural areas. ™ The choice and quality of housing for young people over 16 who are living independently needs to be improved. ™ Too many young people are leaving education or training when they

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things better for children and young people?

reach 17. ™ More work needs to be done to tackle bullying. ™ Work done by the Youth Service reaches too few young people and the quality of that work is not always good.

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