Providing good quality services for children and families and making sure they are safe and supported is one of our most important roles, as a political administration and as a council.
That’s why in our newly adopted Corporate Strategy we commit to providing the best support possible for vulnerable children and young people, and for young people in care and leaving care.
We also commit to Peterborough becoming a Child Friendly City, which puts children and their best interests at the heart of everything we do.
When I became Leader last May I committed to prioritising improvements in Children’s Services, acutely aware of the urgent need to enhance the service.
I’m delighted that in the past 18 months ago we have made good progress, confirmed by Ofsted inspectors during a recent monitoring visit.
Inspectors found that senior leaders are highly ambitious for children and well informed to support children in need of help and protection, and that the leadership team has a good understanding of current performance and are actively addressing areas for improvement.
They also noted that social workers have developed and sustained positive relationships with children and families, providing continuity and enabling positive change. They added that children are benefiting from effective intervention and support, provided by experienced and knowledgeable child practitioners.
We know we’re not out of the woods. Inspectors identified areas that the service needs to continue to improve, such as delays for specialist assessments and the need for health professionals to provide reports updating professionals about children’s health needs.
This improvement is thanks to much hard work from our staff in Children’s Services, including the leadership team and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Katy Cole.
So, I want to thank everyone involved, especially all of the children and families, as well as our practitioners and staff who are fully focused on improving outcomes for children and young people in Peterborough.
There is still much work to be done, but the progress we have made clearly shows once again that this administration’s collaborative approach to working is making positive change happen.
Moving on, I want to say a big well done to everyone at Railworld Wildlife Haven which has won a prestigious award.
The much-loved attraction was named as 'Sustainable Project of the Year' in the national Museum and Heritage Awards, beating off competition from venues across the globe. It’s fantastic news and a real coup for our city.
I love an enthusiast and Brian Pearce, a Volunteer and Trustee at Railworld who has overseen much of the fantastic work there, is certainly one hell of an enthusiast!
Brian and his team of dedicated volunteers have spent over 100,000 hours transforming a derelict coal yard into an inner-city green space with ponds and waterfalls as well as over 2,000 square feet of model railways. That level of enthusiasm and dedication is simply infectious, so I’m not surprised they have won an award, and the attraction is rated so highly on Tripadvisor. If you haven’t been there yet, please do visit. A real ‘can do’ spirit permeates the place, and the model railways are brilliant; I can release my ‘inner anorak’ when I am watching them.
On the subject of city attractions flourishing, I’m delighted to add that Peterborough Museum’s ‘Time and Space’ exhibition has sold over 4,600 tickets – in a month.
The Dr Who-themed event is well worth visiting if you haven’t already, with over 600 exhibits including the iconic Daleks, there is something to delight young and old alike. I also gather that over £10,000 of Dr Who merchandise has been sold.
There will be more mouth-watering events at the museum and across the city in the coming months. For example, we will be celebrating Armed Forces Day on Saturday 21 June with a fun-filled afternoon in the city centre, see our social media accounts for more details.
Finally, you have may have seen that I’ve already taken the plunge at Peterborough Lido, which is now open for the summer, so why not follow suit at this wonderful venue. Victorian bathing costume optional – but you really don’t want to see me in my speedos, believe me.