Bradford District Children and Young People’s Strategy 2023-2025: Appendices

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Appendix 1: Methodology and Consultation Summary

Evidence gathering

Evidence to inform the objectives and priorities in the Strategy came from a number of sources, including:

• Bradford District's interim Children and Young People's Plan 2021
• Published data on the demographics and needs of Bradford District's children and families, e.g. LAIT, ONS data, DfE data on special needs, performance, attendance, exclusions, etc.
• Published data on the performance of local partners, e.g. City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, school performance statistics
• Research undertaken by Born in Bradford and the Centre for Applied Education Research
• Local organisations' research with families, e.g. Better Start Bradford, National Literacy Trust, The Linking network
• Data from council-commissioned surveys of children and young people's views, e.g. public health surveys, localities surveys, etc.
• Local and national government policy and strategy documents, e.g. Our Plan for Bradford District 2021-25, the UK Government's Levelling Up white paper, DfE Priority Investment Areas
• Information underpinning the Child Friendly Bradford District initiative.

Engagement with children and families

We engaged with children, young people and families during summer 2022, supported by the Holiday Activities Fund (HAF):

• Better Start Bradford
• Bradford Libraries
• Sangat Centre Keighley
• Peak Tuition

Engagement with professionals and partners

The development of this strategy has been informed by collaboration and engagement with many partners and professionals across Bradford District. Some were directly involved in the working group and others were consulted on as part of the process of identifying priorities and updating the themes from the interim Children and Young people's plan 2021, those involved or consulted:

• Education Partnerships:
  • Carlton Bolling Academy
  • Dandelion
  • Motive8
  • Schofield Sweeny
• Bradford VCS Young Lives Forum:
  • AWARE - Airedale and Wharfedale Autism Resource
  • Barnardos
  • BD4 Community Trust
  • Bradford Council
  • Bradford District Museum and Galleries
  • Carers' Resource - Bradford
  • Community Action
  • Dance United Yorkshire
  • JAMES
  • Play Bradford
  • Step 2 Young People's Health
  • The Linking Network
• JU:MP
• SAFE Bradford Taskforce
• Born in Bradford and Age of Wonder
• National Literacy Trust
• City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council's Children's Service teams, including Children's Social Care, Early Help and Prevention, Youth Service, SEND services, etc.; Public Health; Employment and Skills; Place, etc.
• Bradford Libraries
• Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
• Bradford District Care Trust
• Bradford District and Craven Integrated Care Board (ICB)
• West Yorkshire ICB
• West Yorkshire Police
• Consultation with partnership boards, including the Youth Justice Board, Prevention and Early Help, Children and Families Health and Care Board, SEND Strategic Partnership, Employment and Skills, etc.

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Appendix 2: Data and Evidence Summary

The impact of inequalities on children and their families

• Child poverty in Bradford District: 38 percent of children under 16 live in low income families - 60,000 children. 47,000 children aged under 16 live in families classed as being in absolute poverty. 3rd highest percentage of children in relative poverty in the country and 2nd highest percentage in absolute poverty (before housing costs).
• Persistent disadvantage: Children who experience persistent disadvantage leave school on average 18-22 months behind their peers. A child has an 80 percent chance of passing maths and English at GCSE if they neither live in poverty nor require the support of a social worker. This figure drops to 65 percent when a child lives in poverty or needs a social worker.
• Deprived areas and child protection plans: Research has shown that children living in the most deprived areas are up to 10 times more likely to require a Child Protection Plan than their peers (so reducing the multiple stresses that poverty brings is key to our strategy).
• Unemployment claimant count rates: Bradford District has the 8th highest local authority claimant count unemployment rate in the country. It has the 3rd highest of all city authorities (after Birmingham and Wolverhampton). For young people, Bradford District has the 3rd highest rate in the UK of all local authorities and the 2nd highest of all city authorities (after Wolverhampton).
• Life expectancy - low and high incomes: There is a ten-year gap in life expectancy between the poorest and the wealthiest in our district. The poorest in our communities can expect to live 21 years of their lives in poor health.
• Child death rates: Rates of child deaths are roughly four times higher in the most deprived area than the least deprived areas. (and infant mortality is two-thirds higher than the average in England. The rate of child deaths for those from South Asian backgrounds is three times higher than from White ethnic backgrounds. Data analysis from Bradford District child death reviews show this excess is associated with a mixture of genetic and social factors.
• Negative impact of poverty at birth: National research has shown that even a transient experience of poverty at birth increases the risks of dying in early adulthood by 50 percent. For every one percent increase in child poverty, there was a 5.8 per 100,000 increase in infant mortality. Whole family wellbeing around birth is crucial, as children whose mothers were stressed in pregnancy are twice as likely to have mental health problems as teenagers.
• Income related benefits and impact on mental health: The prevalence of disorders such as anxiety and depression is twice as high in children living in households receiving income related benefits and three times as high for children living in households in receiving disability related benefit (NHS Digital 2017).
• Toxicity of poverty: National research shows living in persistent poverty is absolutely toxic for a whole range of children's health outcomes. These children have three to four times the risk of mental health problems, double the risk of obesity and double the risk of long-term chronic illness. Living in persistent poverty doubles the risk of death in early adulthood, death from suicide, accidents and cancers.
• Obesity and our young people: A quarter of 10 to 11-year-olds in Bradford District and Craven are obese.

Children and young people's health and wellbeing

• Demand outstrips capacity: Healthy Families at Home reports that capacity vs demand is high – number of referrals, take up of offer and retention within the intervention all higher than expected. The end result is large numbers waiting for service and due to length of intervention waiting time is up to one year.
• Rising prevalence of childhood obesity: Since COVID-19 (NCMP): across reception to year six the total prevalence of excess weight has increased from 31 percent in 2018/19 to 37 percent in 2020/21.
• Deprived areas see increased rates of obesity: Children living in the most deprived areas were more than twice as likely to be obese than those living in the least deprived areas. Bradford District is the 13^th most deprived local authority area (out of 317) (2019 Indices of Multiple Deprivation).
• District's children less active than their England peers: In 2020/21 33.2 percent of children and young people in Bradford District were classed as ‘less active', that is, they do less than 30 minutes of exercise per day compared to 32.4 percent of their peers in England.
• Higher sedentary time: The various Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) aimed at curbing the spread of COVID19 have also led to higher levels of sedentary time. i.e. Time spent sitting or stationary.
• Factors contributing to excess weight: Low levels of physical activity and high sedentary time are two contributing factors leading to excess weight, however we know it is also influenced by a wide range of other factors including; gender, how old we are, the genes we've inherited from our parents and grandparents, how we live our day to day lives, whether we're able to access healthy food or have a good network of friends, family or other support, and crucially where we live, work and play.
• Low proportions of first feed breastmilk: Bradford District was 59.3 percent in 2018/19 compared to England average of 67.4 percent Child and Maternal Health - Data - OHID (phe.org.uk))
• Special educational needs: In 2021, approximately 19k 0-25 year olds in Bradford District had an identified educational health care plan or a special educational need supported by their school or setting.
• Take up of immunisations: In some wards one in four children are not up to date with their immunisations.
• Poor oral health: By age five, many of our children are starting to present with very poor oral health. Access to dentists is an issue locally as in 2017 only 42 percent of 0-4 year olds in Bradford District had seen a dentist in the previous 12 months (the England average was 38 percent).
• Exacerbated mental health challenges: There is mounting concern that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges with mental health services. Even before the pandemic, the prevalence of mental disorders in children and young people was increasing. The rate of probable mental disorder has increased in 5-16 year-olds, from one in nine in 2017, to one in six in 2020, nationally. In particular, demand for support for eating disorders has risen in the last few years, and self-harming presentations from young people at hospital is rising.

Children's Social Care

• Rate of children in care: Bradford District's rate of Children in Care is significantly higher than national or regional averages: 103 per 10,000 in 2022, compared with 70 per 10,000 in England and 81 per 10,000 in Yorkshire and Humberside. The rate in Bradford District rose dramatically between 2021 (94 per 10,000) and 2022; this reflects the level of need in the district and the impact of the challenges outlined in the body of the strategy.
• Children in need: Bradford District's rate of Children in Need is also higher than national or regional averages: 419.2 per 10,000 in 2022; however, this represents a slight decline on 2021, where the rate was 443.7 per 10,000.
• Child protection Plans: The number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan (CPP) in Bradford District in 2022 was 688, equating to a rate of 48.2 per 10,000. This is in line with the regional average of 48.5 but higher than the England average of 42.1. There has been a decline in the rate of children with a CPP in the district, and regionally and nationally since 2019.

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Appendix 3: Proposed Outcomes Framework

Theme 1: Education

Age of Wonder measures focused on School.

Theme 2: Physical and Mental Health

Age of Wonder measures focused on Mental Wellbeing; Physical Health.

Theme 3: Safe homes, places and communities

Age of Wonder measures focused on Socioeconomics and Health Behaviours; Identity and Discrimination; Environment.

Theme 4: Skills Development

Age of Wonder measures focused on Digital and Social Media; Socioeconomics and Health Behaviours.

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Bradford District Children and Young People's Strategy 

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