Children and young people across North Yorkshire are set to benefit from a renewed focus on prevention, inclusion, belonging and family support through a new strategy that will be considered by councillors.

 The plan, “Little Steps to Big Futures: With You. Your Place. When it Matters”, sets out North Yorkshire Council’s vision for the next three years to improve outcomes for children and young people by reshaping how support is delivered across the county.

At its heart, the proposed strategy focuses on providing help earlier, strengthening family and community support and ensuring more children can thrive within their families, communities and local schools.

Central to this ambition is helping children and young people develop a strong sense of belonging, connection and identity within the places where they live, learn and grow.

It reflects a commitment to working with children, families, schools and partners to provide the right support at the right time, helping to prevent needs from escalating and enabling children and young people to achieve their full potential.

The proposed strategy has been informed by local data, insight and engagement. While many children and young people in North Yorkshire enjoy positive outcomes, some continue to face challenges linked to poverty, health and wellbeing, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), discrimination, and the particular challenges that can arise in a large rural county.

The strategy is built around five priorities:

• Helping families earlier.
• Promoting inclusion, belonging and learning.
• Strengthening families and support networks.
• Improving stability for vulnerable children and young people.
• Helping young people develop the skills and confidence needed for adulthood.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for children and families, Cllr Janet Sanderson, said: “Every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilling childhood, regardless of their background or circumstancesBy intervening earlier and working more closely with our partners, we want more children to remain safely with their families wherever possible and more children and young people to achieve, thrive and feel that they belong within their local schools and communities.”

The strategy also positions the council to respond positively to national reforms across children’s social care, safeguarding and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

It sets out how existing services and resources will increasingly focus on early intervention, inclusion and partnership working, ensuring support is responsive to the needs of children and families while delivering better outcomes.

A key focus of the strategy is strengthening joined-up working across services, schools and communities so that families can access support sooner and more easily when challenges arise. By building stronger connections between services and local networks, the approach aims to provide support closer to home, strengthen children’s sense of belonging within their local communities, and reduce the need for more intensive interventions later.

Cllr Sanderson added: “We know that the best outcomes are often achieved when children feel connected to their families, schools and communities, and when they have a strong sense of belonging and purpose. This strategy is about strengthening those foundations and working together to create a system that is more joined-up, more inclusive and increasingly focused on helping children and families succeed before difficulties become more significant.

“Through continuous improvement and strong partnerships, we want North Yorkshire to be a place where every child and young person feels valued, included, connected and supported to realise their ambitions, with a genuine sense of belonging in the communities they call home.”

The proposed strategy is set to be considered by members of North Yorkshire Council’s executive on Tuesday, October 27.

The report to the executive can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF here: New children and young people strategy