Report on the Public Consultation on the Next Government Policy Framework for the Participation of Children and Young People in Decision-making
Published November 2023
Contributors
Author: Deirdre Fullerton (Insights Health and Social Research)
Publisher: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth
Date: 2023
Geographic Coverage: Ireland
Type of Resource: Report
Sector/setting: Government
Vulnerable groups: Children, Young People
Developed with children and young people? Yes
Type of participation: Consultations With Children
Availability: Open Access
Keywords: Child, Strategy, Young People, Policy
Introduction
In December 2022, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Roderic O’Gorman, launched a public consultation on the next Government Policy Framework for the Participation of Children and Young People in Decision-making.
The purpose of the consultation was to secure the views and opinions of the public to help inform the next Policy Framework for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-making in Ireland.
This policy framework will build on the achievements of the National Strategy for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-making 2015-2020 (The Strategy).
The Strategy was guided and influenced by Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which ensures the right of the child to have their views heard and given due weight in all matters that affect them. The Strategy is primarily aimed at children and young people under the age of 18, but also includes the voice of young people in the transition to adulthood.
The Strategy set out commitments across the whole of government to ensure that children and young people were included in decision-making:
• in their local communities
• in early education, schools and the wider formal and non-formal education systems
• in decisions that affect their health and well-being, including on the health and social services delivered to them
• in the courts and legal system.
Additionally, the Strategy set out commitments to ensure:
• that children and young people are consulted or otherwise included in decision-making in the development of policy, legislation and research, and
• that there is leadership in place to support this work, including education and training for professionals working with and on behalf of children and young people.