Havering's Starting Well Plan - Happy Healthy Lives

Havering Council carried out a survey between 3 October and 31 October 2024 to seek your views on our Integrated Starting Well Plan called Happy, Healthy Lives and how we will achieve our vision.

Underpinning our work in Starting Well (Children’s Services) is a comprehensive improvement plan that was developed following our inspection by Ofsted in December 2023 under the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) framework.

Our Happy, Healthy Lives plan does not attempt to replicate the actions that have already been identified through this improvement plan, but instead brings together a number of key strategies which collectively respond to evidence, recommendations and importantly, feedback from children and young people, in order to deliver our vision of enabling our children and families to lead happy, healthy lives.

To achieve our vision, we have organised our work under five priorities, which together describe our WISH for children and young people in Havering. We want children and young people to be:

• Well
• Inspired
• Safe
• Heard

Alongside our four wishes is a commitment (our fifth priority): for children and young people to be treated fairly.

29 responses were received to the consultation.

• All respondents (100%) agreed that it should be a priority for children and young people to be well, and over half of respondents (55%) felt it was clear how we would work with partners to achieve this.
• Most respondents (97%) agreed that it should be a priority for children and young people to be inspired and two-thirds of respondents (66%) felt it was clear how we would work with partners to achieve this.
• All respondents (100%) agreed that it should be a priority for children and young people to be safe, with almost two thirds of respondents (62%) feeling it was clear how we would work with partners to achieve this.
• Most respondents (93%) agreed that it should be a priority for children and young people to be heard, and over half of respondents (55%) felt it was clear how we would work with partners to achieve this.
• Most respondents (93%) agreed that it should be a priority for children and young people to be treated fairly, with a large majority of respondents (72%) feeling it was clear how we would work with partners to achieve this.

As a direct result of feedback, several changes were made to the final draft of the plan and Havering's Cabinet met on 20 November 2024 and agreed the Happy, Healthy Lives plan. The changes that were made included:

• Strengthening the links between action being taken related to climate change, active travel and road safety
• Expanding on action being taken to support school attendance
• Adding a section on hearing the voice of very young children
• Outlining actions being taken to address disproportionality
• Expanding the section on Early Help for families

An action plan has been produced to support the delivery of our vision and priorities. As part of this, key performance indicators are being identified so that our progress over the next three years can be measured.  This will be overseen by the Babies, Children and Young People (BCYP) Board, under the Place Based Partnership.

We are now working with Havering’s Youth Council and a local inclusive theatre company, The Habbit Factory, to coproduce a children's version of Happy, Healthy Lives, for sharing in the summer.

Please see the full Happy, Healthy Lives plan here and the high level action plan here.