Bradford Children's Trust is launching its first strategy to tackle child poverty in the district.
The launch will take place next Monday (June 27) at City Exchange in Bradford to plan how the different organisations that deliver services to children will together tackle the impacts and the causes of poverty.
There will be about 70 delegates attending including headteachers and key staff from other areas of education, health, regeneration and the voluntary sector.
Coun Ian Greenwood, Leader of Bradford Council, will address the launch and presentations will be given by Bradford Council's Strategic Director and Deputy Director of Children's Services, Kath Tunstall and Cindy Peek respectively, and Coun Ralph Berry, lead member for Children's Services.
Coun Berry said: "We believe that child poverty is everybody's business and we hope that by putting this plan into action we can make a difference to children's lives. Childhood experience lays the foundation for later life and growing up in poverty can damage both children's physical and emotional development.
"Whilst some children living in poverty will achieve their full potential against the odds, many others don't and we want to be able to help those young people improve their life chances and then pass on the benefits to their own children. The Children's Trust partners are fully committed to making real changes and this strategy is just the start."
Kath Tunstall said: "Children are victims of families in poverty. It is essential that we work together to support families to break out of the poverty trap so that our children and young people can make the most of all opportunities before them."
The presentations will be followed by workshops looking at how the partners can improve housing, promote employability within families, help children eat better food and increase the uptake of free school meals.
The key aims identified in the strategy are to:
- Improve sub-standard housing
- Provide families with support such as debt, benefits and career advice
- Help young people take advantage of education and training opportunities
- Breaking the unemployment cycle
- Promote positive parenting to build resilience in children and families.
The strategy will be managed through the Children's Trust which reports to the Bradford District Partnership. The Bradford District Partnership is the Local Strategic Partnership for the Bradford District. The public, private, voluntary and community sectors work together to improve the quality of life for people living, visiting and working within the district.
