Youngsters have a say on county plan

Young people in Staffordshire have been letting council bosses know what they think of services in Staffordshire.

As part of the consultation process for the county council's annual Children and Young People's Plan, youngsters in the Voices into Action group have been reviewing last year's plan and reporting on how they think services have improved.

The group got together at Alton Towers to mark the end of their work and launch the young people's version of the plan.

Councillor Peter Beresford, county council cabinet member for young people and chairman of the Staffordshire Children's Trust, said: "Every year the county council has to prepare a plan for its priorities to improve outcomes for children and young people.

"It is very important that we listen to young people's views and act on them wherever possible. I'm very pleased we have had the input of young people into the new plan."

Marvin Campbell, who is among the young people involved in the work, explained: "Voices into Action, consists of 10 people, aged 11 to 19, from a wide range of backgrounds. One of our aims is to review, audit and report on the progress of the Staffordshire's Children and Young People's Plan and we've worked on this throughout the year.

"It has been a lot of hard work, but we think it's very important that we were involved. Our comments and views have been incorporated into the final version of the plan. We have also produced young people's versions of the plan, which helps other young people understand what the plans are to improve our lives."

Councillor Beresford said that representatives of the group will be attending the meeting on June 18, when the cabinet officially signs off the plan, to share their views and experiences with cabinet members.