Barnet Council has announced its new charity partnership.

The council will support Unicef as one of five local authorities to do so, as the charity launches its new programme, Child Friendly Cities and Communities.

The partnership will culminate in the council being recognised as a child friend community, achieving six "badges" along the way.

The council has used Discovery Days to help work out themes which will help guide the partnership, which will be finalised in January 2018.

Cllr Reuben Thompstone, chairman of Barnet Council’s children, education, libraries and safeguarding committee, said: "I’m delighted that Barnet has become the first local authority in London to partner with Unicef UK, it’s a really exciting opportunity and reflects our ambition of becoming the most family friendly borough in London.

"This three-year partnership will give us the chance to really focus on embedding children’s rights into more of what the council does."

To mark the launch, which took place on World Children’s Day (November 20), 15 children from Barnet schools visited the council’s headquarters to take part in a Takeover Day, where they planned and led a session about challenges for children and young people.

Naomi Danquah, Unicef UK’s programme director of Child Friendly Cities and Communities, said: "On World Children’s Day we asked local authorities in the UK to re-imagine their cities and communities from the perspective of children and young people who live there.

"Putting children’s rights at the heart of local authority planning, policy and practice ensures that all children and young people, including the most vulnerable, are surrounded by effective, empowering and nurturing services."