Better Outcomes Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020, represents a whole of Government approach to improving the lives of children and young people. The Policy Framework contains five national outcomes for children and young people, and further details 163 policy commitments relating to children and young people to be progressed. Primary responsibility for delivery of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures cuts across the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Social Protection, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and my Department.
In my own Department a number of areas support the Government’s response to child poverty. My Department invests €260 million annually in early childhood care and education and after-school support programmes which provide care and education to 100,000 children. A number of these programmes are targeted at those on lowest incomes. In addition, in early 2015 I established an Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Early Years and After-School Care and Education. The work of the group was focused on identifying policy objectives to guide future investment in this area, and its report was published in July 2015. My Department is also leading the implementation of the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme (2013-2017) co-funded with The Atlantic Philanthropies with a total funding allocation of up to €29.7 million. The ABC Programme draws on best international practice to break the cycle of child poverty where it is most deeply entrenched, and to improve the outcomes for children and young people. My Department also provides targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at-risk young people, through a range of schemes with funding totalling €49.93 million.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a significant role in the areas of child protection, early intervention and family support. It also has responsibility for ensuring that every child in the State attends school or otherwise receives an education, and for providing education welfare services to support and monitor children's attendance, participation and retention in education. Central to its role is that of strengthening interagency co-operation to ensure the seamless provision of services. Funding for the Agency is provided by my Department, which engages with Tusla on an ongoing basis on the aforementioned.
The purpose of the recently published National Youth Strategy 2015-2020 is to enable all young people aged 10 to 24 to realise their maximum potential with regard to the five national outcomes in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures. It is a universal strategy for all young people, with a particular focus on the needs of young people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing the poorest outcomes. The Strategy uses the same cross-Government implementation infrastructure as Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures.
The Children First Bill, 2014, which will put elements of the Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2011) on a statutory footing is currently progressing through the Dáil. Certain persons, who are mandated persons under the Bill, will be required by the legislation to report child welfare and protection concerns to Tusla, in addition to any disclosures of harm made to the mandated person by a child. Such processes are likely to have a positive effect on the process of assessment of risk by the Agency. The Bill also provides that organisations providing services to children will have to consider the potential for risk to children availing of their services and demonstrate awareness and good practice in Child Safeguarding Statements which will be available to parents and the public generally.
Much of the above is aimed at generating awareness of, and responses to, the sorts of underlying issues which, if allowed to go unchecked, can have negative impacts on a child or young person.
