Service status | Revised arrangements will be in place for rubbish and recycling collections plus other services for the May Bank Holiday. Read for more information and dates.
The specific focus is on:
There are approximately 61,800 children and young people resident in Bexley (0- to 19-year-olds), and 75,265 if young people aged up to 24 years olds are included.1 Bexley children and young people are doing well, but there are some significant challenges locally and we want to work to reduce local health inequalities and empower Bexley children and young people to do even better.
Investing in the early years and children and young people is a key priority because inequalities in early life have lifelong impacts. Interventions to reduce these inequalities are most effective in the early years and childhood, and investing early will save costs in the long run to individuals and society.2 Locally, there are higher birth rates in the north of the borough where children are more likely to be affected by income deprivation, and we will ensure that all children in Bexley are given the best start in life.3
Giving every child the best start in life improves babies’ and children’s health outcomes including early cognitive and non-cognitive development, social development, children’s readiness for school and later educational outcomes.4 Continuing to support children and young people as they grow up, including achieving good educational attainment, making sure the environments they live in are safe and healthy, and reducing school exclusions and exposure to youth crime, has long-term benefits to children and young people’s outcomes, including health and wellbeing.5
If you want to find out more and for ideas about how you can support your baby’s or child’s development at home, and help them in being ready for school, visit our Born Ready, School Ready, Bexley Ready page.
Bexley children and young people performed above national averages in educational attainment across all age ranges over the last five years, including for our most disadvantage children and we have a high comparative proportion of young people in education, employment, or training.6 As highlighted above, overweight and obesity is a significant challenge for children and young people in Bexley, alongside wellbeing and mental health. Over the last few years and since the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen an increase in the number of and seriousness of mental health challenges that our children and young people are facing.7 These are key areas that we want to address through this strategy.