The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., has launched a public consultation views on the next Government policy framework for children and young people in Ireland. This is the successor to Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, 2014-2020, and will run from 2023 to 2028. The Minister is now seeking the public’s views on the new policy framework.

You can submit your views up until Monday, 28 February, 2022 by completing our survey below.

Purpose

The next national policy framework will build on the achievements of the two previous strategies: The National Children’s Strategy: Our Children – Their Lives which ran from 2000 to 2010 and Better Outcomes Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, 2014-2020. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures covered all those aged 0-24 and set out Five National Outcomes we want for all children and young people. These were that children and young people:

1. Are active and healthy, with positive physical and mental wellbeing.

2. Are achieving their full potential in all areas of learning and development.

3. Are safe and protected from harm.

4. Have economic security and opportunity.

5. Are connected, respected and contributing to their world.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will work together with other Government Departments and statutory agencies, children and young people, as well as community and voluntary stakeholders, to set out the actions needed to improve outcomes for children and young people in Ireland.

This is the first in a series of consultations that will take place over the course of 2022.

This consultation will help us to identify the main issues and help to shape future consultations. We hope to get as wide a response as possible.

How to Participate

Please complete our survey here. (Note: An Irish version of the survey is also available by clicking on ‘Gaeilge’ in the Languages menu.) The survey asks you to consider what is going well and what is not going well for children and young people in Ireland and what actions are needed to improve the lives of children and young people.

You can also send a submission to consultations@equality.gov.ie or send a written submission to Policy Framework Consultations, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Block 1, Miesian Plaza, 50-58 Baggot Street, Dublin 2, D02 XWI4, Freepost F5055.

* Summissions can include drawings or pictures.

You can complete the survey or send the submission on your own behalf, or on behalf of an organisation.

The submission should be no more than 2,000 words and should consider the following questions:

1. What’s going well for children and young people in Ireland?

2. What’s not going well for children and young people in Ireland?

3. What can be done to ensure children and young people are active and healthy, with positive physical and mental wellbeing?

4. What can be done to ensure children and young people are achieving their full potential in school and all areas of learning and development?

5. What can be done to ensure children and young people are safe and protected?

6. What can be done to ensure children and young people have opportunity in life and economic security?

7. What can be done to ensure that children and young people in Ireland are free from poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion?

8. What can be done to ensure children and young people are respected and able to contribute to their world?

9. Have the lives of children and young people in Ireland improved over the last decade, and if so, how?

10. How has Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures helped achieve these improvements?

11. What could be done to respond to the impact of Covid-19 on children and young people?

Closing date for receipt of submissions is close of business, Monday, 28 February 2022.

Responses will be collated into a report to inform the design and development of the next National Policy framework for Children and Young People. The report may be published as part of the suite of documents informing this work. Extracts from submissions or survey answers may be quoted in the report.

Please note that submissions will not be responded to.