Children and Young People's Needs Analysis 2008/09
Poole is a wonderful place for children to grow up, and most children achieve and thrive. However, it is also a place of contrast. According to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2007, two super output areas (SOA's) in Poole are among the worst 10% for child poverty in England and Wales. A further eight fall within the worst 25% of SOA's nationally.
In November 2004 the government launched 'Every Child Matters: Change for Children' 
a new approach to safeguard the well-being of children and young people. Its aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:
- Be Healthy
- Stay Safe
- Enjoy and Achieve
- Make a Positive Contribution
- Achieve Economic Well-being
In 2005 the first Children and Young People's Needs Assessment was undertaken in Poole. This provided a basis for deciding priorities and actions to improve the quality and range of services on offer, and in turn improve the five outcomes for children and young people in Poole. In particular, to reduce inequalities between areas and improve social inclusion for vulnerable and minority groups.
In order to strengthen this evidence base, and effectively monitor the needs and planned improvements to outcomes set out in the Children and Young People's Plan for Poole, there is a requirement for the continued systematic analysis of need at this aggregate level.
This report sets out the methodology and findings from Poole's 2008/09 Children and Young People's Needs Analysis. It outlines information about the needs of children and young people in terms of their health, safety, achievement, behaviour and economic wellbeing, and shows where these combine to increase the likelihood of poor outcomes.
A simple methodology has been devised to link infomation, collected by services that support children, at individual child level without compromising confidentiality. Poole's Needs Analysis, therefore, focuses not just on individual risks but begins to explore the combined risks and multi-dimentional nature of problems individual children face.
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