Children in Wales welcomed the initiative, which is encouraging children and young people to give their views on services to the Assembly. Two documents, Children and Young People: A Framework for Partnership and Extending Entitlement, have been published by the Welsh Assembly, which said it hoped this initiative would encourage models of good practice and foster a climate in which service providers give priority to developing high-quality, innovative and responsive provision for children and young people.
According to the Assembly, 'This framework should ensure that children and young people are listened to and enabled to play an active part in determining the services they receive. The views of children and young people therefore need to be incorporated into the policies and plans of service providers.'
Jane Hutt, health and social services minister, said the framework proposed for the first time aims to underpin the Welsh Assembly's provision for children and young people, with reference to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. She added, 'It aims to ensure that authorities work under a common framework to tackle uneven provision, raise standards and improve quality of outcomes.
Children in Wales chief executive, Pat Davies, said, 'Children and young people have more understanding of their needs than policy makers so this is to be welcomed. The new framework is another example of how the Assembly is consulting with young people as it did to appoint a commissioner for children and in setting up the organisation Llais Ifanc (Young Voice), a young people's assembly.'