Child Friendly Lambeth is a partnership between Lambeth Council and UNICEF UK. The ambitious three-to-five year partnership sees councillors, council staff and local organisations promoting children’s rights – as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – to guide decisions that affect children and young people in Lambeth.
As Child Friendly Lambeth embarks on the next phase of its bid to becoming recognised as a Child Friendly Community, children and young people will continue to influence decision-making and play an integral part of raising awareness about children’s rights across the borough.
Following from the discovery and development phase, the “Child Friendly Lambeth” (CFL) project is now entering its delivery phase. In the discovery phase the council, community, children and young people decided the priorities (or badges). In the development phase, those priorities were captured in an action plan, which will be the foundation of the delivery phase. The council will now work with the local community and children and young people to carry out the action plan and put children and young people at the centre of decision making.
Latifa Bangura, Child Friendly Lambeth Ambassador said: “Being an Ambassador for the CFL programme has been a great opportunity and this is probably the most thrilling period. Now we get to make the changes that children, young people and the community want.
“We are getting one step closer to making Lambeth the safest borough in London, as well as the best place to grow up in. I’m honoured to be a part of it, and I am looking forward to continue representing children and young people in Lambeth.”
Cllr Ben Kind, Lead Member for Children and Families said: “We are committed to making Lambeth a child friendly borough that listens to the voice of the child, doing all that we can to ensure our children and young people get the best start in life, and making Lambeth the best place to grow up in and fulfil their potential.
“We are excited to be one step closer to becoming one of the first London Borough to become an accredited UNICEF UK Child Friendly Community. We have listened and consulted with children, young people, and the local community. In this new phase, we can now take those invaluable insights and start implementing the changes that children and young people want to see. We will continue to make sure that the voices of children and young people are being listened to and are at the heart of everything that we do.”
Naomi Danquah, Child Friendly Cities & Communities Programme Director for UNICEF UK said: “After listening to children and young people for several months, Lambeth has now set out an ambitious and achievable plan for making the borough more safe, welcoming and child friendly. This is a fundamental milestone in the borough’s journey towards recognition as a UNICEF Child Friendly Community, and we’re excited to see how the community comes together over the next few years to take action with and for Lambeth’s children and young people.”
