Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 July 2013
36. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress made to date on the development of the new five year Children and Young People's Policy Framework; when she expects its completion and publication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32582/13]
View answerMy Department is developing a new strategy for children and young people. It will build on Our Children - Their Lives, Ireland’s first children’s strategy which was published in 2000 and it is expected to cover the five year period from 2014 to 2018.
In keeping with my Department’s responsibilities for children and young people, the new Children and Young People’s Policy Framework is being developed in a holistic way which will comprehend the continuum of the life-course from infancy through to early and middle childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. It will be the overarching Framework under which policy and services for children and young people will be developed and implemented in the State.
The views of a wide range of interests including children themselves will shape the development of the Policy Framework and it will be informed by the following inputs:
- the results of a consultation in 2011, which focused on children and young people, in which almost 67,000 people throughout the country participated and the results of the analysis of the consultation were published last November;
- a public consultation of the general public conducted during in 2012. Over 1,000 submissions were received as part of that consultation. An analysis of the submissions was completed last April;
- the advice of the National Children’s Advisory Council which represents a range of statutory and non-statutory organisations working with children and young people; and
- the views of the National Children’s Strategy Implementation Group which includes nominees of Government departments and State agencies which develop policies and deliver services for children and young people.
My Department is also in the course of meeting with other Government departments to discuss aspects of the Framework which will impact particularly on their areas of policy responsibility. The Policy Framework is expected to be finalised and published later this year.
