The Children and Young People’s Needs Assessment 2009
attempts to identify and use all available information to
understand the needs of children and young people living in North
Somerset.
The study was carried out in August and October 2009 and is
based on an assessment of existing data, national and local
research and consultation information.
A holistic approach is used to consider all aspects of life
through a child’s eyes, including reference to many of the family,
social, community, economic and employment influences on this
experience.
Overall, the headline issues identified were:
- The population of children and young people in North Somerset
has been increasing, a trend forecast to continue. This will
increase the demand for universal and specialist services received
by children and young people in the area.
- Overall, North Somerset is a prosperous place to live. However,
there is a concentration of material deprivation within parts of
the Weston South locality area, alongside small isolated pockets
elsewhere.
- Where sub-local authority information is available, health,
crime, education and economic indicators often indicate higher need
within the Weston South locality area.
- Social care service workload has increased significantly in
recent years. Levels of services intervention are higher in areas
of higher material deprivation.
- Children and young people would like more consultation on
matters important to them.
This
report will be practically used in 2010 to
inform the revision of the Single Plan for Children and Young
People in North Somerset. It will also inform the development of
a refreshed Commissioning Framework, to target commissioning of
support focused in those areas identified within this
research.