The Mayor's Draft Children and Young People's Strategy

The public consultation draft of the Mayor's Children and Young People's Strategy was published on 8 April 2003. The strategy, a 'highlights' document and a 'child-friendly' version of the strategy may be viewed here in the Children Webmag..

Why is the Mayor developing a Children and Young People's Strategy?

London is home to 1.62 million children under the age of 18 - more than one-fifth of the total population of the city (7.2 million)
but they do not have a vote and have little say in how things are run;
they include some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

While the Mayor does not have any direct powers in relation to children's services, or schools, there are numerous areas where he is able to make a difference to the lives of London's children and young people, for example through improvements in transport, spatial development, policing, economic development, culture and the environment.

The strategy has the following over-arching goals:

to put children and young people's best interests at the heart of policy-making in the capital

to tackle child poverty and poverty-related inequalities

to promote inclusion and equality amongst London's children and young people

to ensure a greater voice for London's children and young people.

Some of the policies and proposals outlined in the consultation draft are designed to work in the shorter term, by setting a framework for change in areas where the Mayor has a clear strategic role and remit. Other proposals will require the active contribution of a range of partners from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, together with children and young people themselves. In the longer term, the strategy aims to demonstrate that child-focused regional policy-making can contribute to further improvements in local service delivery and practice - and, most importantly, in the quality of young Londoners' lives.

Your views

The Mayor is asking Londoners to send him their views on his proposals for making London a child-friendly city by 31 July 2003. The highlights document includes a questionnaire, and a separate questionnaire accompanies the child-friendly version of the strategy. Both may be completed online at www.london.gov.uk

To read the full consultation draft, click here - We have divided it into three parts since it is such a large document.