Working towards a child-friendly Torbay
We are at the start of an exciting journey towards a child-friendly Torbay.
We are working with UNICEF UK and local partners to become a UNICEF Child Friendly Community (CFC).
A Child-Friendly Community
Children’s rights are set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention defines a child as a young person below the age of 18. We will use this agreement to guide decisions that affect children and young people in Torbay. We will do this in partnership with councillors, the local community and voluntary sector partners.
The right of the child to have their views heard and taken seriously, for example, will mean that they will have a say in council decisions. Anything from major policies to decisions around the care they receive. They will also have the opportunity to help design local services and spaces.
The goal is for children and young people to have positive and meaningful input into their community. We want them to benefit from the plans, decisions, spaces and services they use and that impact their lives where they grow up.
What’s happening in other areas
We join nine other councils in the UK currently taking part in the UNICEF UK Child Friendly Cities & Communities programme. Cardiff is currently the first to achieve Child Friendly accreditation.
The partnership was announced in April 2024. It is estimated that the project will take three to five years to complete.
The work with UNICEF also supports our own Community and Corporate Plan. This outlines our plans for Torbay to be recognised as a child friendly place. We want all residents, of all ages, to feel, and to be, safe, and to live well within their communities.
Find out more about our Community and Corporate Plan
What has happened so far, and what will happen next
We have carried out surveys throughout 2024 and 2025. We asked those who work with children and young people, and children and young people themselves, to fill them in. The next steps will be choosing the UNICEF Child Friendly ‘Badges’ for Torbay. We will work with children and young people and local community partners to do this.
We have also been meeting with local schools, colleges and community groups who all work with children and young people. They have been choosing their Badges and telling us what their priorities are for Torbay.
We will be providing updates on these sessions soon. We will share decisions made by the young people involved and what the outcomes were. We will share photos and videos from the sessions as well. Watch this space.
There is also a ‘Discovery Day’ planned for 25 April when we will choose the final Badges for Torbay.
The Badges for a Child Friendly Community
There are three ‘Core Badges’. These are:
- Culture
- Communication
- Cooperation and Leadership
They must be adhered to by any organisation working towards Child Friendly status.
The organisation working with their local community can choose the rest. The choices are:
- Safe and secure
- Flourishing
- Education and Learning
- Participating
- Child-Friendly Services
- Place
- Family and Belonging
- Healthy
- Equal and included
- Innovation
Who decides that Torbay is a Child Friendly Community
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
- an advisory board of local children and young people
We join communities in more than 40 countries participating in this global UNICEF initiative.
Surveys for children and young people
We recently launched two new surveys for young people about living in Torbay:
Take the survey for 7-11-year-olds
Take the survey for 11-18-year-olds
If you are a parent or carer, or work with children and young people, please share the surveys with them.
More information
If you have any questions or would like to arrange a Child Friendly engagement session please contact us.