Children's Services Plan 2023 to 2026
The Children's Services Plan sets out our vision and commitment to improving the lives of children, young people and their families in Dumfries and Galloway.
Dumfries and Galloway Council and partner agencies are committed to Getting it Right for Every Child. This means that all services that work with children, young people and their families should work together to put children, young people and their families at the centre of everything they do.
Our latest Children's Services Plan was agreed in March 2023.
Vision
The Chief Officers of the Council, NHS and Police in Dumfries and Galloway have a vision for children, young people and their families:
"All children and young people in Dumfries and Galloway will be treated with kindness, love and respect, and given the right support at the right time to enable them to reach their full potential."
The Children's Services Plan sets out how this vision will be achieved.
Delivery
In our 2023-26 Plan, we will prioritise:
- Early intervention - by identifying needs and providing support at the earliest opportunity.
- Improving outcomes for children and young people most in need of support.
- Meaningful engagement with, and involvement of children and young people.
We have six workstreams in our Plan:
- Family Support
- Disabled children with complex care needs
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Care experience
- Poverty
- Getting It Right For Every Child
These priorities and workstreams demonstrate our focus on supporting our most vulnerable children and young people.
View the Children's Services Plan 2023-2026
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View the Children's Services Plan [PDF - 1MB]
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View Easy Read information about our Children's Services Plan [PDF - 926KB]
View a video about our Children's Services Plan with BSL interpretation:
Development of our 2023 Children's Services Plan
In 2022 we carried out a Strategic Needs Assessment for children's services. We used this to help us decide what to focus on in our 2023-26 Children's Services Plan.
Reports on our current Children's Services Plan 2023 - 2026
Every year, the Council and NHS must together produce a Joint Annual Report on the Children's Services Plan. Each report must show how well we are achieving the aims of the Children's Services Plan, and what we need to do to improve. Reports in relation to the 2023-2026 Children's Services Plan are available below.
View the 2023-24 Joint Annual Report on our Children's Services Plan
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View the 2023-24 Joint Annual Report on our Children's Services Plan [PDF - 886KB]
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View the 2022-23 Joint Annual Report on our Children's Services Plan [PDF - 805KB]
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View the 2021-22 Joint Annual Report on our Children's Services Plan [PDF - 1MB]
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View the 2020-21 Joint Annual Report on our Children's Services Plan [PDF - 521KB]
Reporting on Children's Rights
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) sets out all the rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. Almost every country in the world has signed the UNCRC.
In Scotland, local authorities and other public authorities have a duty to publish a Children's Rights Report every 3 years. This report must say what steps the local authority has taken to deliver the requirements of the UNCRC.
This is Dumfries and Galloway's second report on Children's Rights. It is a joint report by the Council and NHS Dumfries and Galloway. It covers the period 2020 to 2023. The report sets out the progress made by the Council and Health Board on delivering all the rights that are set out in the UNCRC. The report says what has worked well, and it identifies areas for improvement.
Reporting on Child Poverty
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 introduced an annual requirement for Local Authorities and Health Boards to jointly prepare a Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR) which notes progress and reflects on the work undertaken over the preceding year, and also sets out an action plan for the year ahead.
The 2023-24 LCPAR provides details of activity during the reporting period and updates on the action plan. It also includes an overview of the most up-to-date data in relation to child poverty as well as a new action plan for 2024-26.
