Child and family policy
Child and family policy
Contents | Introduction |
Why have a child and family policy? |
Children and families in Auckland city |
Getting your views |
Guiding documents |
Auckland City's role |
Making things happen |
Work progressed during 2005/06 |
Child and family action plan 2006/07 |
Appendix: Other relevant Auckland City policies
Making things happen
The council has identified a number of detailed goals and objectives together
with the community that will contribute to achieving the policy's aim of making
Auckland a nurturing, exciting and safe city for all children and their
families.
The policy's first goal, giving you a voice, is Auckland City's response to
the request by families to provide them with more ways to become involved with
the council on things that are important to them.
Goals two to four provide direction for children, families and Auckland City
to work together to create a city that is fun, healthy, accessible and safe from
a child and family perspective.
Annual action plan
Each year Auckland City will work with other closely aligned organisations to
ensure the child and family policy comes to life through the development of an
annual action plan. Members of the public and other organisations can suggest
actions for the coming year and councillors will consider these ideas during the
council's annual plan process. Copies of the action plan will be
available in hard copy and on this website.
What can you do?
Talk to your family and friends about Growing up together and the
things that are important to you, your family and community.
If you have some ideas for projects, have any questions or want more
information, you can:
- contact us
- write to us at Auckland City, Community Planning, Private Bag 92516
Wellesley Street, Auckland 1036
- email us
This will help us work together with you to make Auckland city a better place
for all children and their families.
Goal 1: Giving you a voice
Giving you a voice is about enabling and educating children and their
families on how to participate in council decision-making in a meaningful way,
and providing opportunities for them to do so. It is also about communicating in
a child and family-friendly way, and listening to and addressing the views and
concerns raised by children and their families.
Objective 1.1
Learning about how the council works and can help:
By actively developing appropriate information and activities.
This objective will include actions such as encouraging children to vote
through "mock" local government elections in schools or providing them with
information in easy-to-read formats like the yearly state of the environment
update poster. It will also include translating information into different
languages and accessible formats.
Objective 1.2
Getting involved with the council on things that are important:
By providing a variety of communication, participation and feedback
methods.
This objective will include actions that involve children and families having
their say about plans for their community's future. For example, through the
council's growth management strategy process and by investigating and piloting
child and family impact analysis and statements on proposed council policies and
projects.
Goal 2: Being active and healthy
This goal is about creating a great city for children and families to live
together, play together and make new friends. Auckland City supports a quality
of life that adds positively to the wellbeing of children and families,
including providing opportunities for children to be entertained and to express
themselves. Auckland City sees health in a holistic way, encompassing spiritual,
social, emotional, mental, physical and cultural well-being.
Objective 2.1
Finding lots of things to do:
By providing striking and attractive features, spaces and activities which
draw children and families together.
This objective will include actions that support providing recreation,
leisure and art activities across the city, for example in public facilities
such as libraries, the art gallery, zoo and town centres. Actions can include
working with local artists to provide exciting and innovative art works that can
be enjoyed by children and their families or making playgrounds safe,
challenging and fun for children of different ages.
Objective 2.2
Getting you moving:
By providing good quality walking and cycle routes, and advocating for
accessible and safe public transport.
This objective will include actions such as supporting walking school buses
so children get fit and arrive to school safely. It will also include promoting
road safety through education initiatives for adults and children, and
supporting active family programmes.
Objective 2.3
An appreciation of diverse cultures:
By encouraging an understanding of difference in the city and providing
opportunities to make new friends.
This objective will include actions that support events where children and
families can have fun in their community, mix with a wide range of age groups
and ethnicities, and build understanding of cultural difference. Actions will
include supporting networks such as the current Asian and Otahuhu networks, and
making the council's information available in a range of languages as part of
the development of Auckland City's settlement strategy.
Goal 3: Providing a welcoming and safe environment
Auckland City is committed to educating children and their families about how
they can make a difference by looking after the environment and encouraging them
to enjoy the natural and built features the city has to offer. The council
supports providing an accessible, safe, nurturing and caring environment where
everyone is responsible for the effects their actions have on children.
Objective 3.1
Caring for the environment:
By showing children and families how they can care for and improve the
natural and built environment.
This objective will include actions that educate children and families on how
they can reduce their effects on the environment. It will also include
opportunities to learn in a fun way about the history of buildings, parks and
other spaces in the city.
Objective 3.2
Making safe places to play and visit:
By promoting policies and public education measures that discourage
bullying, injury and violence against children and families.
This objective will include actions that promote safe alcohol-free events for
children and families and prohibit alcohol sponsorship of events aimed at
children. It will also include actively promoting crime and injury prevention
and road safety through initiatives like encouraging children to learn to swim
and to be safe as cyclists and pedestrians.
Goal 4: Working for you
The council will work with other agencies and service providers to provide
the things that children and families need. It will share successes and ideas
with other councils in the region, and will lead by example by encouraging
work/life balance for council staff and raising their awareness of the
importance of the child and family policy.
Objective 4.1
Talking with people and making things happen:
By developing relationships with schools, central government and
non-government organisations.
This objective will include actions such as talking to and encouraging
service providers to provide the best services and activities for children and
their families. It will also include working with central government to get
projects happening in the community that children and their families need. For
example, actions that ensure planning for increased density considers the need
for housing options with good urban design and amenities.
Objective 4.2
Letting you know what is going on:
By informing you of what the council is doing.
This objective will include actions that provide targeted ways for children
and their families to find out about events and activities happening in their
local community and the city like school holiday programmes at local community
centres and the new AkActive programme.
Reviewed August 2006
