Torbay Council partners with UNICEF UK in bid to be recognised as a UNICEF Child Friendly Community

Torbay Council will work with children’s charity the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) and local partners towards international recognition as a UNICEF Child Friendly Community.

The ambitious partnership will see councillors, council staff and local community and voluntary sector partners turning to children’s rights – as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – to guide decisions that affect children and young people in Torbay.

The right of the child to have their views heard and taken seriously, for example, will mean that children will have a say in council decisions – from major policies, to decisions around the care they receive – as well as the opportunity to design local services and spaces.

Torbay Council joins eight other councils in the UK taking part in the UNICEF UK Child Friendly Cities & Communities programme which works with councils to put children’s rights into practice. The partnership was announced today, Monday 22 April 2024.

Councillor Nick Bye, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services for Torbay Council, said: “We are delighted to start our journey with UNICEF UK as we work towards Torbay becoming recognised as a UNICEF Child Friendly Community.

“The work with UNICEF also supports our own Community and Corporate Plan, which outlines our plans for Torbay to be recognised as a child friendly place.  We want all residents, including our children and young people, to feel and be safe and to live well within their communities.”

The Council has already launched a baseline survey for its workforce and will also be asking other key partners and stakeholders about UNICEF, children’s rights and the work already taking place in Torbay to become Child Friendly. Following the launch, Torbay Council and local community and voluntary sector partners will work with local children and young people to understand which areas, or ‘badges’ they think should be prioritised to make Torbay more child-friendly – feeling safe, or staying healthy, for example. Torbay Council will need to show evidence of sustainable progress in six badges to be recognised as a UNICEF Child Friendly Community.

Progress will be closely monitored throughout the three-to-five year journey, and the decision to recognise Torbay as a UNICEF Child Friendly Community will be made by UNICEF UK, an independent panel of experts in human rights, child wellbeing and public services, as well as an advisory board of local children and young people. Torbay joins cities and communities in more than 40 countries taking part in this global UNICEF initiative.

Naomi Danquah, Child Friendly Cities & Communities Programme Director UNICEF UK said: “We are delighted to welcome Torbay Council to the Child Friendly Cities & Communities programme.

“This partnership represents a bold commitment from Torbay Council and their partners to put children’s rights at the heart of everything they do – from early conversations around children’s spaces and services, to the day-to-day running of those services.

“We’re excited to see this partnership make a real and lasting difference to children’s lives in Torbay.”