Child Friendly Warwickshire

In a matter of months, Child Friendly Warwickshire has made lots of friends across the county with 65 local businesses and organisations signing up to help achieve its vision to create a child friendly county.

Child Friendly Warwickshire is a priority programme of work from Warwickshire County Council to make the county the best place it can be for children to grow up and learn. Friends of the programme are committed to putting children and young people at the heart of what they do and setting inspiring examples that make a positive difference to their lives.

Key to the success of Child Friendly Warwickshire is a community powered Warwickshire. One where every business, organisation and individual is committed to creating a county where all children and young people - no matter their background - are safe, skilled, heard, healthy and happy.

This development of the friends network ensures Child Friendly Warwickshire can grow in communities and offers even greater opportunity to do more for children, young people and their families. The child friendly activities from the friends of the programme will be showcased and celebrated, ensuring the voices and views of children and young people are engrained across the county.

Cllr Jeff Morgan, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, said: “A priority for Warwickshire County Council is to ensure children and young people are supported live their best lives but we can’t achieve this alone. That’s why we introduced the friends scheme, so businesses, organisations and charities could join us in nurturing the next generation.

‘I am delighted that, after not even a year of starting the Child Friendly Warwickshire programme, we already have sixty-five friends. From the RSC to the police, to Ragdoll Productions, to Warwickshire Pride, all our friends are committed to putting children and young people at the heart of the activity.

‘I can’t wait to see how this programme grows and the positive opportunities that are created for the future of Warwickshire. I encourage all businesses and organisations in Warwickshire to sign up today and help us to create a county which is truly child friendly.”

By becoming a friend, businesses pledge to be a face of Child Friendly Warwickshire by setting inspiring examples, helping to promote and share information with their partners and followers and encouraging others to join in creating a county which is truly child friendly.

Since joining the friends scheme, the Barclays Digital Team are working with Child Friendly Warwickshire to offer free employability training sessions to all schools and colleges in Warwickshire for students aged 13+ to help them build an effective online employment profile.

Child Friendly Warwickshire is also working closely with The Fostering Network to encourage businesses in the friends scheme to adopt fostering friendly values to their employees. This will mean employees that foster are able to balance employment more easily while looking after fostered children, as well as making a positive difference to the children who are being cared for.

Every action, no matter how small, will make a difference. To sign up as a friend, and to see the businesses and organisations that have already signed up, visit: https://www.childfriendlywarwickshire.co.uk/our-friends. 

For all the latest news, follow Child Friendly Warwickshire on Twitter https://twitter.com/Child_Warks and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChildFriendlyWarwickshire