Our Aim is to make Cardiff a Child Friendly City
Cardiff is the first city in Wales to participate in UNICEF UK’s national Child Friendly Cities and Communities initiative. Our ambition is for Cardiff to be recognised as a Child Friendly City (CFC): a city with children and young people at its heart, where the rights of children and young people are respected by all, a great place to grow up.
We recognise the importance of embedding a children’s rights approach across public services to deliver lasting solutions to complex problems. Removing the barriers that prevent some of our young people from making a successful transition into the world of work, delivering the best outcomes for children in our care and helping young people to live independently must be a priority for all.
This will require partners to work together to make a city where the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children and young people are at the heart of public policies, programmes and decisions.
We will work together to create a city where all children and young people can:
- Understand their rights and influence decisions that affect their lives.
- Experience equality of opportunity in all that they do.
- Be safe, respected and free from any form of discrimination or harm.
- Experience and share kindness in their everyday lives.
- Move around independently and safely and are able to enjoy the freedoms of the city.
- Have a great start in life and grow up healthy and cared for.
- Experience a high quality and inclusive education that prepares them for life.
- Easily access any information, advice or support that they may need, when they need it.
- Share in the success of the city in all its forms, whatever their background.
Cllr Huw Thomas – Leader, Cardiff Council
Cllr Sarah Merry – Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Education
Every child and young person is valued, respected and treated fairly.
To achieve success Cardiff will:
- Train staff in children’s rights.
- Make it clear about what you can expect from organisations and services.
- Promote children’s rights and celebrate children and young people.
- Provide children and young people with clear information about opportunities and services
- Think about how decisions being made in the city affect the rights children and young people.
Every child and young person has their voice, needs and priorities heard.
To achieve success Cardiff will:
- Develop the skills of children and young people so they can have their voice heard.
- Encourage and support children and young people to get involved in shaping the city.
- Make sure people take the views of children and young people seriously.
All children and young people grow up in a safe and supportive home.
To achieve success Cardiff will:
- Work with children and families to get the support and help they need.
- Improve the lives of children and young people who are not able to live with their families.
All children and young people get a good education that teaches them about their rights.
To achieve success Cardiff will:
- Make sure that children and young people who are not able to live with their family have a good education.
- Work with Unicef to ensure that all schools teach and respect children’s rights.
- Provide all pupils with an education that meets their needs, wherever possible within on school site.
- Work together to help prepare children and young people to be adults for independent living, active citizenship and the world of work.
Children have good physical, mental and emotional health and know how to stay healthy.
To achieve success Cardiff will:
- Provide more opportunities for children and young
people to be active during their daily lives by:
– Making the roads safer with more 20mph areas across the city.
– Providing safe places to play.
– Providing safe walking and cycling routes.
– Work with schools to encourage pupils to safely walk, scoot or cycle to school. - Make sure that children and young people are happy and healthy by:
– Providing them with the support and help they need when they needed.
– Giving them someone to talk to when they need it
– Teaching them how to stay happy and healthy.
This map to a Child Friendly Cardiff sets out our 5 goals with 17 actions.
