Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the adherence to and impact of the first children's strategy Our Children-Their Lives, across all Government Departments and relevant State agencies; the way that experience is informing the preparation of the new Children and Young Peoples Policy Framework; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46761/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The National Children’s Strategy was published in November 2000. The three national goals of the strategy are that:

1) Children have a voice in matters which affect them;

2) Children's lives be better understood; and

3) Children receive quality supports and services.

The National Children’s Strategy has had considerable impact and has informed the development of a range of policies and services over the intervening period. My Department has developed a comprehensive programme of children’s participation and works with other Departments to ensure that children’s views are taken into account when developing policies relevant to them. At county level there are thirty-four Comhairle na nÓg in place where children and young people can identify priorities and seek to have these addressed. The Dáil na nÓg is an annual national parliament for young people aged 12 to 18 years. The Comhairle na nÓg National Executive follows up on the recommendations from the Dáil na nÓg and tries to make changes for young people in those areas. The over-riding philosophy underpinning my Department’s participation activities is that children and young people are the citizens of today and not just the adults of tomorrow.

Improved understanding of children’s lives has been brought about through my Department’s comprehensive children’s research programme. This has seen the development of a funded programme of children's research and initiatives to develop research capacity in this area. It includes the commissioning of the national longitudinal study of children ( through an investment of over €30 million. The , which is published by my Department biennially, is an important resource in understanding Irish children and placing their experience in an international context. A detailed review of the progress achieved in the area of children’s research was completed in the which I published last year. This Strategy sets out key priorities in this area over the period 2011 to 2016.

There have also been significant developments in the quality supports and services which children benefit from since the National Children’s Strategy was published in 2000. Notably the free pre-school year provided through the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme is being made available to 66,000 children at a cost of over €170 million annually. My Department has also funded a Prevention and Early Intervention Programme for children in three local areas in conjunction with Atlantic Philanthropies at a total cost over the period of €36 million. There is also greater understanding of Child Protection issues than there was in previous decades. This is reflected in the priorities the Government has attached to establishing the new Child and Family Support Agency, and in legislation regarding the reporting of child abuse. The forthcoming constitutional referendum and the all-party support it has attracted, demonstrates, I believe, a broader understanding on the importance of the rights of children than existed heretofore.

The experience gained from the range of initiatives taken since publication of the National Children’s Strategy and the views of a wide range of stakeholders are being drawn upon in the development of the Children and Young People’s Policy Framework. This includes a consultation with children and young people, in which almost 67,000 participated; an open consultation with the general public which attracted over 1,000 submissions; and the advice of the National Children’s Advisory Council which comprises representatives of a range of organisations, both statutory and non statutory, that work with children and young people.

These consultations have provided a means of reflecting on the experience in implementing the National Children’s Strategy and the strengths and weaknesses of the achievements. In February 2011 the Children’s Rights Alliance published an independent review of the implementation of the National Children’s Strategy. This was broadly positive in its assessment. It found that over 80% of the National Strategy’s 136 Actions have been either achieved or have made some progress. Therefore, the new Children and Young People’s Policy Framework will build on the goals of the National Children’s Strategy. It will cover the 5-year period from 2013 to 2017, and will be the overarching framework for the future development of policies and services that will improve children and young people’s outcomes.