Written Answers 197-204
197. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department has been made aware of youth poverty; her strategy to address any such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22076/13]
View answerMy Department has been given lead responsibility for implementing a new Area-Based Approach to Child Poverty programme during 2013-2016. This initiative was announced as part of Budget 2013 and has a funding allocation this year of €2.5 million, This is expected to increase to €4.75 million in 2015. The Initiative reflects the Programme for Government commitment to adopt an area-based approach to child poverty in co-operation with philanthropic partners, drawing upon best international practice and existing services, to break the cycle of child poverty where it is most deeply entrenched and improve the outcomes for children and young people where these are currently significantly poorer than they are for children and young people living elsewhere in the State. Officials in my Department are currently engaged in discussions with a philanthropic partner with a view to securing additional co-funding for the programme.
The new programme will build on and continue the work of the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme which has also been implemented by my Department. This earlier programme involved the implementation of a range of evidence based programmes and practices on a pilot basis in three areas of high social and economic disadvantage. The programmes aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people in relation to literacy, speech and language, health and pro-social behaviour as well as supporting improved parenting skills. The programmes are currently being evaluated by national and international experts.
The three existing areas of programme interventions, together with at least three additional areas, are expected to participate in the new programme. In addition, it is my intention to broaden the impact of the programme by, where appropriate, beginning the process of mainstreaming as many as possible of the evidence based programmes which have had positive test outcomes and are cost-effective. The establishment of my Department's new Child and Family Agency later this year will be important to this process.
Officials in my Department are leading a cross-Departmental Project Team to ensure that arrangements for the introduction of the new programme are put in places at the earliest possible date. Applications to participate in the programme were invited from interested consortia last month and the closing date for their receipt is 31st May 2013. Information relating to the application process is available from my Department.
200. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department expects to examine issues surrounding juvenile offenders with particular reference to identifying the social and or economic contributory factors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22079/13]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy that the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) which is based in my Department and includes officials from the Department of Justice and Equality is currently finalising a Youth Justice Action Plan which will sit within the Children and Young People's Policy Framework (CYPPF) 2013-2018 currently being developed in my Department but will also form part of the National Anti-Crime Strategy being developed as part of the draft White Paper on Crime process being finalised by my colleague Minister Shatter.
Youth crime will always be a concern but we now know from hard data that the vast majority of young people grow out of crime. In order for the public to have confidence in a youth justice system, it needs to be reasonably assured that it is effective in its policies and delivery.
The focus for the forthcoming Youth Justice Action Plan will be to continue the downward trends in high volume crime and detention; becoming more adept in understanding and intervening in more serious crime offending patterns; and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of these interventions in addressing the behaviour and needs of these children. The Plan involves evidence-informed targeted interventions to achieve better outcomes for children who get into trouble with the law, and to reduce crime leading to safer communities. Importantly, the voice and experiences of children involved in the youth justice system have influenced the development of these interventions.
Of course, the Deputy will be aware that my Department is responsible for a range of supports to families and children which, although not directly related to juvenile offenders, seek to address many of the social and economic contributory factors. I hope to bring a seamless new approach to policy development and integrated service provision for children so that they have the best possible start to life. In order to design and develop effec tive policies and services that make a difference, then as a first step, we need to better understand our children: their lives, their experiences, their expectations.
My Department's National Strategy for Research and Data on Children’s Lives 2011-2016 sets out a 5 year plan to guide and support the development and use of research and data on children’s lives, for the purpose of improving understandings and creating an evidence base to support policy and practice. Several of the priority areas identified in the strategy relate to the experience of children and young people in contact or in danger of coming in contact with the justice system.
The Deputy will be aware of the commitment given at broader systemic and cultural level through the way we deliver services, in particular through the work of the new Child and Family Agency (CFA) which will be established this year. At the heart of the new Agency will be a new Service Delivery Framework, which will differentiate between child welfare and protection cases, such that family and child welfare concerns can be responded to by new multi-agency, community-based models for early intervention and family support. The new Agency will represent the practical application of a new approach towards 'proportionate' service responses.
201. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she continues to liaise with health service provides, youth organisations and educationalists with particular reference to the identification of the causes of depression amongst young persons; the extent to which she continues to find it possible to address these issues or introduce new initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22080/13]
View answerThe prime responsibility for policy in relation to the treatment and support for young people with depression currently lies with the Department of Health.
The issue of depression in young people is a complex issue requiring inputs from a wide range of stake-holders including young people, parents, schools, the media , youth organisations and the Primary Care and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services of the Health Service Executive (HSE).
My Department supports the National Youth Health Programme which is in partnership with the HSE and the National Youth Council of Ireland. The programme's aims are to provide a broad-based, flexible health promotion / education support and training service to youth organisations and to all those working with young people in out-of-school settings. Its work programme is informed by the knowledge and experience of the partners involved and most particularly by the Health Promotion Unit of the HSE and by the National Youth Council of Ireland which is the representative body for some 50 youth organisations in Ireland.
This work is achieved through the development of programmes and interventions specifically for and with youth organisations throughout the country and the provision of training and support for workers and volunteers who implement these programmes. It is covered under the Mindout Mental Health Promotion training and resource pack delivered to youth organisations. The training is based on the resource Mindout which was developed by Health Promotion HSE West and NUI Galway. MindOut is a twelve session mental health programme which takes a positive approach to the promotion of emotional and mental health among young people, looking at the ways they cope ranging from personal coping skills to informal networks of support to professional or voluntary support services. Mindout adopts a universal mental health promotion approach which has strong links with the “Support for all” element of the recent guidelines on Mental Health Promotion for Schools published by the HSE, the Department of Education and Skills and the National Office for Suicide Prevention.
The National Youth Health Programme also offers a Specialist Certificate in Youth Health Promotion. This programme is accredited by NUI Galway and adopts a whole organisational approach to health promotion. It focuses on a holistic model of an individual’s health and mental health and reinforces youth work as a valuable setting for mental health promotion.
Actions needed to address this issue obviously extend beyond the remit of my Department. My Department is currently leading the preparation of the new Children and Young People’s Policy Framework which will represent a whole-for government approach to addressing issues affecting children and young people including their well being.
202. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she and or her Department has directly or in conjunction with other Departments managed to focus on the issue of youth unemployment; if particular strategies are deemed to be appropriate and successful; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22081/13]
View answerThe Government is tackling unemployment generally through the twin strategies of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. My Department worked closely with the Departments of education and skills, social protection , jobs, enterprise and innovation and others as part of a cross departmental effort to realise this objective and to progress the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.
Youth unemployment is a particular concern because of the prospects it holds for young people themselves, their personal development and for social inclusion. The Government has a range of measures in place to tackle youth unemployment and these include programmes and initiatives in education, training, job search assistance/ work experience and to encourage job creation.
As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, my aim is to highlight the potential youth work can play, as part of the response to the youth employment challenges, through collaboration with other interests. Each year over 380,000 young people participate in youth work services throughout the country. Youth Work and non formal learning, in its many programmes and activities, recreational, sporting, learning, volunteering and skills development, offers young people opportunities to acquire new competences and skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, motivation, creativity and leadership. These are core and transferable life skills- the 21st century skills that are so important to training and career readiness. There is a growing recognition in Ireland and across Europe of the potential of youth work services to enhance employability of young people as part of a wider employment and enterprise strategy.
Youth employment is a theme which I prioritised during my Presidency of the EU Council of Youth Ministers through focusing on the potential of youth work and young people's engagement in youth activities and the way that non formal learning complements more formalised systems of employment, education and training. At the recent EU Youth Conference in Dublin, hosted by the Irish Presidency, over 250 young people and policy makers jointly discussed social inclusion challenges that impact on young people’s lives such as employment and social supports as well as the role of quality youth work.
I will invite the EU Youth Council later this month to adopt Council Conclusions on the contribution of youth policy to addressing the goals Europe 2020 to maximise the contribution of youth policy in addressing the challenges young people face. I also plan, as part of the Presidency programme, to host an expert round table event on quality youth work and its contribution to youth employment (20–21 June 2013, Kildare).
On my invitation the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) has submitted a proposal for the development of a national programme to address the needs of the most marginalised young jobseekers not in education, employment or training. This proposal is under review in my Department.
Minister Bruton published the 2013 Action Plan for Jobs last February on behalf of the Government and in that context my Department will continue to work closely with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to identify in what ways the youth sector can contribute to shared policy objectives to address youth employment.
203. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she intends to enhance the procedures to ensure a rapid response to reports and or suspicions of child abuse; if she has in mind any particular initiatives in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22082/13]
View answerAll Child Protection and Welfare referrals are managed through the HSE Children and Families Standardised Business Process.
All reports of concern for the safety and well-being of a child come into the Duty/Intake team for assessment. All staff receiving such a referral are trained in the duty system and are obliged to treat seriously all child welfare and child protection concerns whatever their source.
The report and response nature of referrals is reflected in the following process. Step 1 – the screening staff deal with the information reported and preliminary enquiries are concerned with determining an appropriate response. Step 2 – referral process – the screen step is concerned with screening out those enquiries, reports, requests for service etc that do not belong with Child Protection & Welfare Teams. Once it is agreed by the duty team leader that it is a correct referral it is allocated immediately for an Initial Assessment. Step 3 – the initial assessment is a time-limited process to allow the gathering of sufficient information on the needs and risks within a case so that informed decisions and recommendations can be made and actions that will result in better outcomes for children are taken.
The duty team leader together with members of the team will deem the information received as: level 1 – child and family must be seen immediately; level 2 – child and family must be seen within 3 days; level 3 – child and family be seen within 7 days.
In identifying Risk it is the ‘professional judgement’ of the duty team leader to assess if immediate action is required. Risk is assessed if the child is at ‘ongoing significant risk’. This is to be decided based on the information received on the referral: 1) The seriousness of the abuse reported; 2) The likely level of risk to the future safety and welfare of the child; and 3) The degree of professional confidence in the information that either the abuse has occurred and is likely to be repeated or that the child is at immediate risk. Risk analysis continues throughout the 21 days allocated to complete the assessment. All information on the extensive process is available on the HSE website under the Standardised Business Process documentation. The full implementation of the Business Process continues to enhance the processing of all referrals throughout the country.
204. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will outline her progress within her Ministerial remit on combatting incidences of bullying amongst young persons; in particular, if she has consulted with the Department of Education and Skills on a multi-Departmental approach to combatting homophobic bullying in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22100/13]
View answerAs Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, I am committed to working with colleagues in Government to ensure that integrated policy responses to combat bullying are high on our agenda. Our Programme for Government commits that “we will encourage schools to develop anti-bullying policies and in particular, strategies to combat homophobic bullying to support students.”
The implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying, which is being led by the Department of Education and Skills, is an important step in delivering on this commitment to work with a broad base of interests to protect children from bullying and ensure a safer childhood.
In recognising the particular need to tackle homophobic bullying, and the broader issues of prejudice in society, the working group which produced this Action Plan included representatives of BeLonG To Youth Services and the GLEN (Gay & Lesbian Equality Network); organisations working to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered young people and to advocate for respect and inclusion of all citizens equally.
As part of its contribution to the Working Group’s deliberations BeLong To Youth Services consulted with young people from across Ireland on their experiences of homophobic or transphobic bullying in schools. Two thirds of the young people consulted had experienced homophobic or transphobic bullying in schools. Research commissioned by the GLEN (Gay & Lesbian Equality Network) and BeLong To Youth Services on the experiences of young LGBT people in Irish schools has found that 50% reported the existence of homophobic bullying in their schools.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the actions set out in the Action Plan to tackle this problem are being progressed. My Department is currently developing “A Children and Young Peoples Policy Framework” which will set out high level goals for both my own and other Departments for the next five years. The Policy Framework is expected to be published later in 2013. The development of an Anti Bullying Framework is being progressed in the context of this whole-of-government policy framework. My Department is also working to place the Children First Guidelines on a statutory footing. Within this process we will explore any additional clarifications that may be required to further assist schools in their response to bullying.
The Deputy may be aware that an additional €500,000 has been allocated to the Education Vote to supplement the existing substantial resources within the system dedicated to the welfare of young people. I understand that work is underway in the Department of Education and Skills to develop new anti-bullying procedures for schools in consultation with the Education Partners with a view to their introduction from next September. There will also be engagement with Boards of Management and parents in relation to coordinated training and resources development.
In recognising the lead role of schools, the National Education Welfare Board has issued guidelines requiring each school to have dedicated policies to prevent or address bullying. Schools must make it clear in their code of behaviour that bullying is unacceptable.
Since the Action Plan was launched, two successful awareness raising initiatives have been rolled out. The first campaign was launched as part of EU Safer Internet Day in February. As part of it, the Government supported a national anti-cyberbullying media campaign specifically targeted at young people. The second, which I launched on March 6th , was the Stand Up! Awareness Week Against Homophobic & Transphobic Bullying in second level schools which was organised by BeLongTo Youth Services and was a key action point of the Plan.
The Anti Bullying agenda is a recurring element in all our consultations with young people. It is notable that the majority of the 34 Comhairle na nÓg initiatives funded by my Department have identified mental health services, cyber bullying and homophobic bullying as priority issues for young people. In response, this has led a number of targeted measures being adopted by service providers across the country.
Organisations and schools throughout the country are running anti-bullying campaigns and transition year students continue to pioneer student-led projects aimed at combating bullying and cyber bullying. My Department will continue to support the efforts of these projects and of teenagers who want to play a leading role in the national campaign against bullying.
Corporations are also playing their part. I recently organised a number of information nights for parents, teachers and youth workers which were supported by webwise and facebook. IBM have just launched free Activity Kits on cyber bullying, online identity and internet safety coaching and I hope that companies such as these will support the development of the of an anti-bullying website to provide a single point of access to practical advice and support in tackling and reporting bullying behaviours. Preliminary scoping work is underway towards this development.
My Department continues to work with other Departments, childcare services, education welfare services and the youth sector to raise awareness about bullying, its impact on children and young people and to advance measures to tackle prejudice, combat bullying and promote a safer environment for our young people.
