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Children's Services Plan 2026 to 2029

Our plan to improve the lives of children and young people and their families in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Children's Services Plan sets out our vision and commitment to improving the lives of children, young people and their families in Dumfries and Galloway.

We and our partner agencies are committed to Getting it Right for Every Child. This means that all services that work with children, young people and their families should work together to put children, young people and their families at the centre of everything they do.

Our Children’s Services Partnership in Dumfries and Galloway involves senior leaders from the Council, NHS, Third Sector, Police and Children’s Reporter Administration.  The partnership has a vision for children, young people and their families:

To build a Dumfries and Galloway where every child and young person is treated with kindness and love, and their voice respected and valued to enable them to reach their full potential.

Priorities 

To achieve this vision, the Children's Services Partnership will focus on four key priorities:

  1. Keeping children and young people safe
    • ensuring children are protected from harm and feel safe in their homes, schools and communities
  2. Providing the right support for families at the right time
    • helping families access the support they need, when they need it, to improve outcomes and prevent problems from escalating
  3. Supporting children and young people to be healthy
    • promoting good physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and helping children and young people thrive
  4. Enabling children and young people to achieve their aspirations
    • ensuring access to learning, skills and opportunities that help every child and young person develop, succeed and fulfil their potential

Together, the Council, NHS, Third Sector, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration will work with children, young people and families to deliver these priorities and improve outcomes across Dumfries and Galloway. 

 

Reports on Children's Services Plan 2023 to 2026

Every year, the council and NHS must together produce a Joint Annual Report on the Children's Services Plan. Each report must show how well we are achieving the aims of the Children's Services Plan, and what we need to do to improve. Reports in relation to the 2023 to 2026 Children's Services Plan are available below.

Understanding the needs of children and young people 

This draft Strategic Needs Assessment provides an overview of the health, wellbeing, education and life experiences of children and young people in Dumfries and Galloway. The information will help shape future Children's Services planning and ensure support is focused where it is needed most. This is a working document that will be reviewed and updated regularly.

 

Reporting on Children's Rights

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) sets out all the rights that all children everywhere are entitled to.  Almost every country in the world has signed the UNCRC.

In Scotland, local authorities and other public authorities have a duty to publish a Children's Rights Report every 3 years.  This report must say what steps the local authority has taken to deliver the requirements of the UNCRC. 

This is Dumfries and Galloway's second report on Children's Rights.  It is a joint report by the Council and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.  It covers the period 2020 to 2023.  The report sets out the progress made by the Council and Health Board on delivering all the rights that are set out in the UNCRC.  The report says what has worked well, and it identifies areas for improvement.

Our third report on Children’s Rights will cover the period 2023 to 2026 and will be developed in 2026.

Reporting on Child Poverty

The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 introduced an annual requirement for Local Authorities and Health Boards to jointly prepare a Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR) which notes progress and reflects on the work undertaken over the preceding year, and also sets out an action plan for the year ahead.

The 2023-24 LCPAR provides details of activity during the reporting period and updates on the action plan.  It also includes an overview of the most up-to-date data in relation to child poverty as well as a new action plan for 2024-26.