Published on Wednesday 02 August 2023
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s Cabinet has taken an important step towards enhancing children's services by approving funding to deliver a significant transformation and improvement programme.
The primary goal of this programme, called ‘building stronger foundations’, is to help deliver the council’s vision for children and young people – that BCP is a great place to live; where all children and young people have the best possible opportunities in life and are supported by the community to flourish and grow.
With a focus on supporting the health, well-being, and development of children from birth to adulthood, the transformation aims to provide seamless access to services that will positively impact their lives.
This investment will support the transformation and improvement programmes in children’s services over the next two years, which is focused on the improved quality and delivery of services to children and families.
Cllr Richard Burton, BCP Council Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People said;
"Supporting children, young people and their families remains a key priority for the council.
"We have seen significant demands for our services, which has meant we have not always been able to provide the level of support and service we would like. We have been working hard to put in place a plan to address this and I am delighted that Cabinet have approved the funding to help us deliver.
"This investment will make a significant difference to local children and their families in the area, as we will be able to manage better the demand, work closer with our partners and create efficiencies which will also contribute to the Council’s overall savings plan".
Cathi Hadley, BCP Council’s Executive Director for Children’s Services said;
"This support from the council strengthens our transformation and improvement journey, and helps us to continue to drive the work required to raise the quality of services and delivery to children and families across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area."
The programme will see investment to achieve the following:
- Changing the way services are provided to put the child at the centre of the work and investing in more locally delivered services.
- Investing in the workforce, to create more stability and making sure they have the right tools and resources to do their job.
- Strengthening and developing partnerships with more integration with statutory, voluntary, education and community organisations.
- Understanding local needs through the better use of data helping to connect people to a range of services, community offer, help through schools, digital advice and guidance.
Councillor Burton added;
"By embarking on this ambitious transformation and improvement programme, we are taking a crucial step towards providing exemplary services for our children. We envision a future where our local area becomes a place where children can thrive, and we invite the community, partners, and stakeholders to join us on this journey to create a brighter future for our children."
The progress of the Building Stronger Foundations Programme will be reported to Cabinet and supported through a robust programme board.
For further information contact: Liz Kite on liz.kite@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Subject to ratification at Full Council on 12 September 2023.
Ends
Notes for editors
The BCP Council met on 26 July to discuss the business case for the building stronger foundations transformation programme. A copy of the papers and recording of the meeting can be found here.