Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 December 2018
13. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the supports provided to the youth work sector to strengthen work in enhancing the knowledge and skills of young persons in regard to healthy eating and active living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52341/18]
View answerThe Minister recognises and acknowledges that the issue of obesity in children and young people is growing. What support do she and her Department provide to the youth work sector, in particular, to strengthen work in enhancing the knowledge and skills of young persons in regard to healthy eating and active living?
Healthy Ireland 2013-25 aims to achieve an island where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and well-being to their full potential and where well-being is valued and supported at every level of society and is everyone’s responsibility. The three dominant themes of Healthy Ireland are equality, well-being and empowerment. Without equality, we cannot have well-being and without empowerment we will not achieve equality.
Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures includes improving childhood health and well-being among its key priorities. The first outcome, entitled "Active and Healthy", aims for all children and young people to be physically healthy and able to make positive health choices, have good mental health and a positive and respectful approach to relationships and sexual health. My Department oversees the implementation of the framework.
One of the main objectives of the national youth strategy is that young people enjoy a healthy lifestyle, in particular with regard to their physical, mental and sexual health and well-being.
My Department also provides funding to the national youth health programme, operated by the National Youth Council of Ireland, NYHP, in conjunction with and co-funded by my Department and the Health Service Executive.
At the launch of its recent statement of strategy, the National Youth Council of Ireland described how it aims to help Ireland become a country where all young people can experience positive health and well-being. The NYHP will make a defining contribution to the development of effective youth health promotion practices which support young people to make healthy and positive choices.
There are three major areas in which the plan will drive change, including the following: a nationwide provision of evidence based training and resources for those working with young people on topics responding to their needs, including mental health and physical activity; developing and promoting a culture within organisations in the youth sector which focuses on health and well-being; and advocating on issues that affect the health and well-being of young people.
I thank the Minister for her response. Despite all our best efforts, the issue of obesity has increased significantly in recent years. At the outset, I reflect that when I was a teenager - I looked at the figures - less than 1% of children were deemed to be obese at that stage. Current figures are that 9% to 10% are obese and one in four children are classed as overweight. When we look at lifestyles and activity, we know that we would have all walked to school. We see the schools and the type of food there is now. Most fast food chains did not even exist in this country when I was young so there have been significant changes.
The Minister said in her response that it is everyone's responsibility and I acknowledge that and I do not attach total responsibility to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs but my real concern is the opportunity the Minister has in terms of getting youth work to engage with young people proactively. We do it for other issues where we engage young people so that they avoid the misuse of drugs and other activities but the Minister talks about enhancing the skill base of those youth workers and this is where the opportunity is. I would like to see a more proactive approach in that regard.
It is good that the Deputy raises these questions. I have described the strategies that are ongoing and detailed how an organisation is being funded to help support some of the implementation of that.
The Deputy raises the issue of obesity, which is a key concern, even more so today than when the Deputy and I were growing up in different places at different times. On the better outcomes brighter futures policy, it is a significant part of that strategy to tackle the issues of childhood obesity, where work is ongoing on the top shelf of the food pyramid action plan. There are partner supports for youth organisations to ensure that through a mix of legislative policy and public awareness the environments will be put in place in order to tackle those issues. We are publishing results of lifestyle surveys, which include data on healthy eating policies. We support children to make healthier choices through education and we address food poverty, which is also a very big concern of mine, particularly in the context of DEIS schools and children who are hungry so that we can also look at the obesity issue in that context.
I thank the Minister for her response. I acknowledge the Better Outcomes Brighter Futures programme. It is a fairly comprehensive report and it is fair to acknowledge that the issue of obesity requires a whole of Government response and not just the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, but in terms of youth work, the Department has a particular role to play to ensure that for those who are engaged in youth work, this is at the top of their agenda.
I am not a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs but I acknowledge that it recently published a very detailed report with a significant number of recommendations. I take it that the Minister has read it and while the recommendations do not all directly relate to her, I ask that the recommendations that she has control and influence over are acted on in a prompt manner.
Yes, that is important and we need to ensure that we are doing that. By considering that and looking at it in the context of the youth organisations, the youth sector and the strategies that have been there in the past, as I understand it the actions are focused on developing the obesity policy action plan, setting out a national physical activity plan and continuing to support and build on existing youth arts provision.
We have probably been quite good at the development of these plans and identifying the actions. The Deputy is asking that we ensure that in the provision of resources, both directly to some of these organisations and small groups on the ground but also to the national organisations, we ensure that monitoring and the more proactive aspect of implementation take place and also that we take account of the work of the committee.
I will endeavour to take three questions from Deputies Moynihan, Wallace and Mitchell within limited time so I ask Deputies to be as brief as possible in their introductions to try to accommodate everyone.
