YOUNG people are to be asked to help decide how £800,000 should be spent to tackle child poverty and exclusion.

An initial grant of £20,000 has been provided by the Children and Young People's Unit to start up the Children's Fund project in Darlington and cover the 2002 to 2004 period.

But, instead of asking professionals such as social workers to make all the decisions, the young people in the fund's target age range - between five and 13 - will be given a chance to provide for their futures.

The scheme has been developed in Darlington by the multi-agency Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership.

Of the £800,000, 65 per cent will be spent on two areas of the borough, Firth Moor and Red Hall, while the rest will be used to tackle social isolation for young people across Darlington.

Liam Cairns, co-ordinator of Investing In Children, one of the partners of the national Children's Fund, which was established by the Government as part of its tackling child poverty and exclusion strategy, said the aim was to help children at risk of social exclusion.

He said: "The money is to be spent on new projects or ways of working that will prevent them from being socially excluded.

"The people who live in the neighbourhoods, including the five to 13-year-olds, will have a key contribution to make towards deciding what services might make a difference."

Mr Cairns said the money would also be used to improve services for adults, who would also be consulted.

"Over the next few months, plans will be being made and services will be commissioned using this £800,000, whereby children and adults in the communities will be designing new ways of working, using the Children's Fund to finance those," he said.

The work will build upon Darlington Borough Council's existing strategies for social inclusion and children's services, such as the Children's Services Plan, Sure Start, Early Years development Plan, Health Improvement Plan, Youth Justice Plan and Education Development Plan.