Children, young people and families across Moray are helping shape the future of local services, with more than 700 people contributing to the development of Moray’s next Children’s Services Plan.
The consultation, held earlier this year, heard from more than 300 children and young people, from those in early years through to care leavers, with their views helping shape the 2026–2029 plan.
The new plan will build on learning from the current plan and aims to create a children’s services system in Moray where children, young people and families experience support that is early, relational, inclusive, rights-based and rooted in their communities.
It will have a stronger focus on prevention, whole-family support and place-based approaches, with children’s rights and participation at its centre. Detailed delivery plans and measures will continue to be developed with children, young people, families and partners.
A report considered by the Moray Integration Joint Board on Thursday 24 September also highlighted progress made during the final year of the current Children’s Services Plan 2023–2026.
The concluding annual report shows progress across participation, family support, child protection, inclusion, care, workforce development and partnership working. It also recognises that significant pressures remain, including care capacity, attendance and attainment, poverty, mental wellbeing and assessment timescales.
Across family support, Moray has strengthened early intervention and expanded access to universal, targeted and intensive support, with 962 parents registered with the PEEP early years programme over the past year, while 170 families accessed intensive support through Families Together and Functional Family Therapy.
Progress has also been made in supporting children with additional needs and neurodiversity, including increased communication support for more than 150 non-verbal children. Work has also continued to strengthen support for children and young people with care experience and improve how their voices influence decisions.
Dennis Robertson, Chair of the Moray Integration Joint Board which directs the work of the health and social care partnership, said: “It’s very encouraging that more than 700 people took part in the consultation for the new Children’s Services Plan, including more than 300 children and young people, and it’s important that their voices continue to influence and inform how services develop, and challenge us to do better.
“The final year of the current plan has also shown the value of community planning partners working together to provide earlier support, strengthen families and improve outcomes for children and young people. The progress made is significant, and the report highlights what can be achieved when we work together with a shared ambition.
“We are ambitious for our children and young people, and the new plan gives us an opportunity to build on what we have learned. There are still challenges to address, but we want children and young people to see the difference this work makes and to hold us to account as we deliver more joined-up, community-based support and work to ensure every child gets the best possible start in life.”
The new plan will bring together five strategic priorities: improving outcomes for children and young people with complex and additional support needs; improving mental health and emotional wellbeing; keeping children and young people safe from harm; strengthening early help and family support; and delivering The Promise across Moray.
Partners will continue working with children, young people, families, communities and other organisations to develop the detail of the plan and ensure services respond to local needs.
Moray Health & Social Care Partnership Communications
