Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2004
116 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the contributions that have been made to the Council of Europe forum for children and other international fora relating to family issues since the Government was formed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28154/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Forum for Children and Families was established in April 2001 by the European committee on social cohesion at the Council of Europe to report on issues concerning children and families and their living environment. An official from the family affairs unit of my Department represented Ireland on the forum.
The forum discussed the activities, policies and priorities of international governmental and non-governmental organisations in the field of childhood policies, family affairs, children's rights and social support of children and families. It facilitated an exchange of views on strategies for common action on priority issues, acted as a forum for the exchange of information on best practice and made proposals to the European committee on social cohesion for future work.
During the three years of its existence, the forum debated and achieved progress in important issues such as the establishment of good standards for day care of children, the role of ombudspersons for children, the ban on corporal punishment of children and the protection of the rights of children in residential institutions. In consultation with other Government Departments, my Department contributed to these debates and presented the Irish position on the issues being discussed. The information and analysis arising from these discussions are fully taken into account, as appropriate, in policy development at national level with regard to children and families.
The final meeting of the forum took place in April of this year. At this meeting the forum agreed a declaration on the occasion of this the tenth anniversary of the UN International Year of the Family. It welcomed the plans of the secretary general of the Council of Europe to strengthen the organisation's work on the rights of children and encouraged the Council to continue to actively promote child and family friendly policies in Europe.
Following on from the forum's work and recommendations, a new committee of experts on children and families has now been established by the European committee on social cohesion and it will hold its first meeting 8-9 December 2004. The representative of Ireland on the European committee for social cohesion is one of four country representatives chosen by that committee to represent it on the new committee on children and families. Its terms of reference include to: promote European co-operation and exchanges between member states — 46 such states — on the social aspects of childhood and family policies; make an active contribution to any multi-disciplinary project concerning children which may be launched in the framework of the programme of activities of the Council of Europe; conduct research to identify problems of parenting in Europe, particularly problems facing parents whose children are at risk of social exclusion.
In this respect the committee will evaluate national policies to see to what extent they address these problems. In light of the principles and rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the committee will promote best practices of parenting, as well as family policies including, in particular, support systems to parents at varying stages of the child's development.
Officials of my Department have also been directly involved in child and family related issues in other international fora. In February of this year the Irish EU Presidency delegation, including officials of my Department, negotiated on behalf of EU countries a UN resolution on the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family and beyond at a meeting of the UN commission on social development. My Department has also contributed in its schemes and services to Ireland's response to the United Nations on compliance with the UN conventions on the rights of the child and on economic, social and cultural rights.
The Irish Presidency in May of this year, with the support of the EU Commission, hosted an international conference entitled, "Families, Change and European Social Policy", to mark the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family. The conference focused on the implications for social policy of demographic, economic, political and social changes affecting families, with particular reference to EU policies in this field. It also provided a forum for exchanges on the latest policy developments. Papers from the conference are available on my Department's website and preparations are underway for a final report to be published shortly.
One of the conference conclusions related to the need for further such exchanges to assist member states in modernising their policies to meet the changing needs of families. A direct outcome is a further international conference on the broad theme of family change and social policy being hosted by Germany for representatives of EU states in December.
Ireland has also participated in an OECD multi-country project on reconciling work and family life, entitled "Babies and Bosses". An analysis of the situation in Ireland in this regard was included in Volume II of the study which is now concluded, with a final volume due for publication shortly. The findings of the study will form the basis for an exchange of views on these subjects at an OECD meeting of Ministers for Social Affairs next April. Full account of all these developments will be taken into account in the strategic process to modernise and strengthen supports for families, the preparation of which is being co-ordinated by my Department for publication early next year.
