Our 9 Well-being Objectives for 2022/27

We will raise educational attainment, helping young people and adults to gain the qualifications and skills needed to lead positive lives

• All children and young people will have access to good quality education and no schools will be in special measures
• We will have reduced the proportion of young people leaving school not going into further education, employment or training
• We will have successfully embedded the new Curriculum for Wales into our schools to better prepare children and young people for a changing world
• We will be better at meeting the Additional Learning Needs of children and young people helping them to overcome barriers to learning and reach their full potential
• We will have increased support to address the negative impacts of Covid on young people’s education such as learning delay, increased anxiety, behavioural complexities and poor attendance
• We will have helped address recruitment and workforce issues in our Welsh medium education schools
• Proportionally more people will gain the GCSE or equivalent qualifications they need to lead positive lives
• More people will undertake community learning and undertake basic skills that help them gain employment
• We will develop the role of the school in the community and the role of the community to support our schools

We will encourage and champion children, young people and families so they can thrive

• More children will receive childcare and education through the Welsh language, contributing to Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 aspirations
• More families will be accessing the Flying Start programme
• More schools requiring investment from the 21st Century schools programme will be modernised
• More children and young people will be directly involved in council decisions and shaping council services
• We will have reduced our Children Looked After population and a greater proportion will be living with in-house foster carers
• We will have increased the number of in-house foster carers with the skills to manage complex situations
• We will have developed in-county therapeutic accommodation options for children with complex needs
• We will work with more young people to reduce anti-social behaviour, preventing people entering the criminal justice system
• We will have supported more refugees to settle into our communities
• We will promote the role and needs of young carers within the community, in order for them to be able to access services equitably
• We will protect children from harmful substances and products through undertaking test purchasing exercise with partners on the sale of age restricted goods, such as alcohol, tobacco and knives

• We will aim to prevent all families and individuals from becoming homeless through targeted intervention and support
• We will reduce homelessness by working with partners to ensure greater access to suitable accommodation and support services
• We will work with communities to support them to become more resilient and less dependent on statutory services
• More people will retain greater independence at home and to access services in their community through further developing our community based reablement services
• We will ensure that children with disabilities are provided with a quality service that promotes family life, independence and access to community facilities
• We will have helped address some of the serious impacts of the cost of living crisis with a range of financial support for those most in need
• We will bring new private and affordable housing to market through working with landowners to identify new parcels of land for housing
• We will provide free school meals for all nursery and primary aged children
• We will work with our partners and businesses to provide good sustainable jobs in the Borough which enable people to live well
• We will improve housing standards and identify risks to health and safety by responding to and learning from complaints from residents about private rented properties
• More people will live independently in their own homes through greater use of assistive technology

We will make Torfaen more sustainable by connecting people and communities, socially, digitally and physically

• More people will choose public transport as a means of travelling for social and business purposes with more trains stopping at Cwmbran and Pontypool and New Inn Rail Stations
• We will have more active travel routes with more people walking and cycling including improving accessibility for disabled people to ensure they can enjoy their local environment
• More people will be making journeys using electric vehicles supported by increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points in the county
• We will work with more volunteers and community groups to improve local environments and communities
• More people will be accessing council services using faster, more widely accessible wifi
• We will use digital solutions to help us monitor how people use our town centres
• Fewer people will be digitally excluded through improved access to broadband

We will respond to the climate and nature emergencies, recycle more and make improvements to the local environment

• We will have increased the area of council owned land managed for biodiversity
• We will be well on our way to meeting our target to be net zero carbon by 2030
• We will have exceeded our recycling targets with a greater range of materials collected for recycling
• We will crack down on environmental crimes to deter littering, fly tipping and dog fouling
• We will foster greater pride in place by providing greater support for community environmental action
• Council buildings will use less fossil fuels and suitable buildings will be used to generate renewable electricity
• More of our vehicles will be ultra-low emission, reducing the council’s overall carbon footprint
• We will have increased the borough’s tree coverage and established new orchards to increase carbon capture and promote biodiversity
• We will have trained over 1,000 climate champions so staff help people understand the impact of their decisions on climate change
• We will have developed a new local nature reserve to demonstrate our commitment to protect the environment and create valued spaces for our communities to enjoy
• We will work with communities and maximise funding opportunities to enhance the local natural environment and the condition of local parks and public outdoor spaces
• We will improve air quality within the borough taking the necessary action to protect public health and the environment

We will make Torfaen a great place to do business by working with local employers, encouraging new business start-ups and entrepreneurial activities

• We will have supported businesses in the county to deliver economic growth by helping residents into skilled, prosperous and secure employment
• We will have encouraged growth in the number of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), micro-enterprises and business start-ups
• We will create an innovation ecosystem to promote local research and development in our businesses to help them grow and become more prosperous
• We will have promoted Torfaen as a place for investment and worked with developers to transform brownfield sites for employment
• We will have identified new parcels of industrial/employment land, working with landowners to bring them to market
• We will have driven up spend in our local economy by improving local skills and through our own spending as a council
• We will have upskilled the local workforce to attract and retain employers
• We will use some council buildings differently to encourage support new businesses and new industries

We will support and promote healthier lifestyles in Torfaen to improve mental and physical well-being

• All schools will have plans to support emotional and mental well-being of staff and learners
• All pupils should be able to participate in 60 minutes of activity every day
• We will expand mental health support for people of all ages
• We will expand inclusive play facilities suitable for all children
• We will work with communities to develop a range of provision so that more residents can access support and take part in volunteering activities
• We will work with Torfaen Leisure Trust to provide greater access to facilities for school pupils
• We will develop community support services and reduce the number of adults and children needing formal care
• We will carry out inspections of food businesses in Torfaen to ensure the food is safe and is what it says it is
• We will develop a sport and leisure strategy with our partners to engage more people in healthy activities and increase opportunities for more people to take part in sports and physical activity

We will support our local culture and heritage and make Torfaen a thriving, safe and attractive place to live and visit

• We will increase visitor numbers to destinations in Torfaen including a revitalised Greenmeadow Community Farm
• We will rejuvenate our town centres and encourage a night-time economy with more visitors enjoying good quality places to eat and drink
• The Blaengafog Brook on the British will be taken out of culverts and will flow in a new channel as the first stage of the British masterplan
• We will have reduced the level of anti-social behaviour and serious violence within our communities
• We will work with communities and maximise funding opportunities that improve the appearance of communities and town centres that help promote pride in place
• We will promote Torfaen as a ‘Destination’, working with our outstanding visitor attractions so that we can offer attractive packages for day and overnight visitors that include venues throughout the Borough

We will provide efficient customer focused services that reflect the way people live their lives and wish to access services

• We will be a digitally enabled and efficient council providing excellent customer service, allowing more residents to complete their transactions online
• We will be proactively signposting residents to a wider range of well-being information and preventative services to increase the number of people who access information and support from their community
• More residents will be accessing public information, advice and guidance anytime, anyplace and anywhere
• We will ensure our services are designed to reflect customer not business needs through involving, engaging and consulting customers to ensure services listen and improve