Over forty children and young people from across Herefordshire took up the opportunity to help shape plans for future services as part of the annual Takeover Challenge. 

The Takeover Challenge is a national initiative led by the Children’s Commissioner and provides the opportunity for young people to get involved in real-life decision-making about the services that affect them.  The project also gives young people a valuable insight into the various roles in public services and the decision-making processes across different organisations.

The pupils took part in a series of workshops with members of staff from Herefordshire Council and the Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).  The sessions included a councillor debate and a question and answer session with the leader of the council and helped to create a 12 days of Christmas campaign with WISH and a flu vaccination promotion campaign with the CCG.

One of the workshops also gave the young people the chance to help shape the Herefordshire Young Persons Plan.  The plan aims to ensure that the needs and priorities of the county’s children and young people are effectively understood and addressed by all partner agencies and, subject to cabinet approval, will be launched in the spring.

Councillor Elissa Swinglehurst, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Takeover Challenge. It was great to see so many children and young people getting involved.”