Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Mar 2003

Vol. 563 No. 5

Written Answers - Youth Policy.

Dan Boyle

Question:

204 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the recently released guidelines from the End Child Poverty Coalition, Hearing Young Voices: Guidelines for Consulting Children and Young People, in respect of developing public policy and services in Ireland; and the consideration he has given towards adopting such guidelines. [8495/03]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. B. Lenihan)

The Hearing Young Voices guidelines are excellent and comprehensive. They will be useful for a wide range of statutory and non-statutory groups that are considering consulting children and young people. I fully support these guidelines and I launched the research study, Hearing Young Voices, in September 2002 which formed the basis for these guidelines.

I am responsible for co-ordinating the implementation of the national children's strategy. The first goal of the strategy is that children will have a voice in matters which affect them and their views will be given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity. It is recognised in the strategy that support and guidance must be provided to agencies involved in consulting with children to fully implement the first goal. My officials in the National Children's Office have been working in co-operation with statutory and non-statutory organisations in providing this support and guidance.

Following a request for funding from the End Child Poverty Coalition to print additional copies of the guidelines, officials in the National Children's Office have examined the Hearing Young Voices guidelines. They met representatives of the End Child Poverty Coalition to discuss the possibility of developing these guidelines into a set of national guidelines for consulting children and young people. The development and reprint of the guidelines would be done in co-operation with the End Child Poverty Coalition and would be fully funded by the National Children's Office. The office is awaiting a formal response from the End Child Poverty Coalition to this proposal. I hope these guidelines can be adapted to a set of national guidelines on consulting children and young people and that they will be published this year.