A REPORT into the experiences of children growing up in the borough of Darlington has prompted a call for care providers and families to work together to protect and support youngsters in need.

The Darlington Children and Young Peoples Plan for 2017 to 2022 outlines ambitions to make a difference in children’s lives, despite “decreasing resources” and “increasing demand”.

Figures used to design the plan have revealed that of the town’s teenagers aged 13 to 16-years-old, 48 per cent had had an alcoholic drink, 12 per cent had taken drugs and 27 per cent experiencing bullying.

A quarter of the Year 7 to Year 11s had also been asked to send inappropriate images of themselves to others.

The research carried out by Darlington Borough Council also found that in Darlington, two per cent of primary school children had tried smoking and 38 per cent are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke.

The five-year plan has highlighted four key points designed to offer children bright futures by keeping them safe, improving their health and wellbeing, boosting their academic attainment and supporting their families to manage budgets.

In a statement from Councillor Cyndi Hughes, cabinet member for children and young people, and Alasdair McConachie, chairman of the One Darlington Partnership, the pair hope the plan for 2017 to 2022 will “unlock the potential” of the town’s youngsters.

The statement said: “We know that we have an important job to do to improve overall outcomes for all children and to narrow the inequalities that exist between some children and young people and their peers.

“However, the economic and social context in which we need to make these changes has changed significantly in recent years.

“The impact of decreasing resources year on year, together with an increasing demand for our services, means that we need to reconsider how we can achieve those outcomes.

“Now more than ever, everyone in Darlington who works with children and young people, in either a statutory or voluntary capacity, needs to work together to use our collective resources more creatively to ensure we achieve our ambitions.”

It added: “Producing this plan does not mark an end to that listening process and we will continue our work to ensure Darlington remains one of the very best places in which to live and grow up.”

The authority’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee will now review the plan in a meeting in the Town Hall at 9.30am on Monday, September 4.