Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people, contains a commitment to publish Ireland's first-ever national early years strategy. The ten-year cross-Government strategy will focus on the period of early childhood from birth to five and cover all aspects of children's lives. Given the importance of the first five years for childhood development and for development over the life course, the strategy is a priority for me. No other strategy offers the same potential to transform the lives of those children and their families. It is, therefore, important that we get it right.

Drafting of the strategy is being advanced by my Department, which is drawing on substantial national and international research evidence and being informed by experts' views, including those of the expert advisory group on the early years strategy, bilateral meetings with other Departments and a range of stakeholder consultations, including one undertaken with children aged three to five. We also held a very valuable open policy debate which brought together over 80 experts from the fields of health, education, early childhood care and education, child protection, housing, community, social protection and social inclusion.

A draft strategy has been prepared and a process of redrafting is about to commence alongside further consultation with Departments and key stakeholders.

Efforts to progress the remaining work and finalise the strategy for publication have recently intensified with the assignment of an additional resource by my Department. When it is published as early as possible in 2018, my Department will outline a plan for implementation that will involve the close monitoring of progress on all actions within the agreed timeframes.

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