Policy Brief June 2016
New Government
After 70 days of negotiating the new Government was formed on May 6th. Fine Gael has 12 ministers and 3 (including the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs) are independents. There are a few changes in personnel also. As has widely being commented on the Government also has an understanding with Fianna Fail to facilitate its coming in to being and to pass budgets and other issues. This is definitely a new approach to politics and already the Government has lost votes in the Dail. Only time will tell how the political landscape plays out. It may present an opportunity for NGOs to have greater influence on decision making through a more empowered parliament.
RTE News
New Government Ministers
Government Programme
The Programme for a Partnership Government sets out the commitments for the current administration. There have already been signals that many commitments may not be implemented by particular ministers (see latter article on child benefit). The programme contains 6 pages on Children and Youth Affairs largely divided by age groups. The provisions on youth are very much in line with the current policy framework of Better Outcomes Brighter Futures. Specifically, there is a commitment to “fund an expansion of Youth Services that support, in particular, Early School Leavers into employment and in recognising the value of such services and groups”.
Youth Mental Health features prominently in the document but in the education section.
Government Programme
Summary of Programme for Government
New Minister for Children
Katherine Zappone was announced as the new Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on May 6th. She is a newly elected independent TD for Dublin South West. She served in the last Oireachtas as an independent Senator nominated by the Taoiseach. She was prominently associated with Seanad reform and previously was known for taking a legal action for the recognition of her Canadian (same sex) marriage. While this case failed it was very much the precursor of the campaign for marriage equality which culminated in the Constitutional Amendment last year. She is co-founder of An Cosán, an organisation that combats inter-generational poverty through education and training, with her spouse Dr. Ann Louise Gilligan.
Katherine Zappone Biography
Ministers Speech on the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016
Child Poverty Conference
The Children’s Rights Alliance will host a conference on child poverty on June 24th in Dublin. The event will breathe life into important commitments on child poverty in Ireland and explore how they should be translated into reality to improve children’s lives. This includes an ambitious commitment to reduce the level of children living in consistent poverty as promised in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020. At a Europe-wide level, important commitments have been made under Europe 2020 and the European Commission Recommendation on Investing in Children.
More about the Conference
Video from a recent Eurochild Poverty Conference
QUB Children’s Participation
The Centre for Children’s Rights at Queen’s University Belfast was held a Summer
School on children’s rights-based participation from June 1-3. The Summer School
was led by Centre director and deputy director, Professor Laura Lundy and Lesley
Emerson, who have developed a pioneering approach to children rights-based
research and consultation, implementing it at local, national and international levels.
The Queens University Belfast Centre for Children's Rights is a cross-university
research centre which operates as a focus for research intended to better
understand and improve children’s lives. Their research activity focuses on
substantive children’s rights issues, children’s participation in decision making and
children’s rights-based research methods.
The Summer School
The Centre
Proposed Child Benefit Changes
The new Programme for Government contained a commitment to “reform the
monitoring of child benefit payments by amalgamating the two existing school
attendance monitoring systems, currently run by the Department of Education and
Tusla, to address poor attendance within some families”. This change was presented
as reducing the payment for parents where school attendance was an issue. This
proposal has been advanced at times by the current Minister for Communications
and Climate Change Denis Naughton. This commitment led to some controversy and
the Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar said he had no plans to make such a
link. However Minister Naughton has stated he still supports such a development.
Reaction
Denis Naughton on Child Benefit
Other Ministerial Appointments
There are some other relevant appointments for those involved in work with Children
and Young People. Simon Harris the new Minister for Health is still one of the
youngest TDs and has being associated with youth work in recent times. Helen Mc
Entee representing County Meath has been appointed Minister of State for Mental
Health and Older People. David Stanton a former guidance counsellor with a strong
involvement with youth work has been appointed Minister for Equality and Integration
Minister for Health Simon Harris Biography
Helen Mc Entee's Website
Profile David Stanton
Youth Mental Health
Problems with youth mental health continue. It emerged recently that monies
allocated to mental health services have been reallocated to other parts of the health
service despite the recognition of the importance of investment in this area. More
recently a supplementary budget has been agreed. The UN and the Children’s
Rights Alliance continue to highlight the poor conditions of our mental health
services. Local youth services, which often provide services based on limited
support, have come under huge pressure. Often a local tragedy will put such
pressure on a service many young people need to be turned away which is the worst
outcome for vulnerable young people. One young person involved in Youth Work
Ireland Cork recently wrote an open letter to Minister Simon Harris on the subject
which was covered in the national media.
Student's Letter to Minister Harris
Mental Health Reform Reaction to Programme for Government
Mental Health Commission Annual Report
"Government Committed to Mental Health Funding"
European Youth Event
The European Youth Event is becoming a well-established part of the youth policy
landscape in Europe. It takes place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and
involves young people from all member states and beyond. During the event young
people exchange ideas and perspectives on youth-related issues, develop innovative
solutions to crucial questions for the future and meet with European decision-makers
and speakers with a wide range of professional experience. These were the five
themes for this year’s event; War and Peace, Apathy or Participation, Exclusion or
Access, Stagnation or Innovation and Collapse or Success.
EYE Website
Participants Article in SpunOut
Job Bridge
One immediate change announced by Leo Varadkar Minster for Social Protection
was the ending of the work experience programme, Job Bridge. The Minister cited
the changing employment situation as the reason for the change. The scheme was
often controversial particularly with some employers advertising positions which
many felt should be actual jobs. While the scheme was associated with youth
unemployment research showed that the majority of participants were not actually
young people. While sometimes criticising aspects of the scheme organisations like
the NYCI and Youth Work Ireland never formally opposed it seeing the need for a
variety of interventions to deal with youth unemployment. The Minister has said he
wants to develop an alternative programme. Those working with young people will
have an interest in this
Minister Varadkar's Announcement
Reaction
EU General Data Protection Regulation
Data Protection is critically important to those working with children and young
people and a working Data Protection Policy is a must for voluntary groups in this
field. Due to recent developments internationally the EU, which determines many of
these matters, has updated the basic legislation in this area. While change may
focus more on large controllers of data everyone with a Data Protection policy needs
to be aware of the changes which need to be introduced within a two-year deadline.
As a regulation it does not need transposition in to Irish law. One of the changes is a
legal right to erasure previously known as the “right to be forgotten”
General Information on the GDPR
Law Society MOOC on Data Protection
Youth Employment Initiative and Youth
Services - EESC Opinion
The European Economic and Social Committee adopted an opinion on May 25th on
the European Structural and Investment Funds stating; “The EESC has always
encouraged active involvement of civil society in this work, we continue to urge in
particular that the Member States should include youth organisations and youth
services in delivering the YEI” The opinion, which is a response to a Commission
Communication, contributes to the EU legislative and policy making process under
the Treaties.
The EESC Opinion
The EU Commission Communication
School Attendance
The school attendance functions of the former National Education and Welfare Board
are now exercised by TusLa under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. A system of
reporting and monitoring absences including sanctions is well developed. The act is
focused on identifying children and young people who have, or who in the future may
have, school attendance difficulties and addressing their needs both in their schools
and their communities. The Board of Management in each school is obliged to
prepare a school attendance strategy and submit it to the Agency. Of late there
appears to be a greater trend towards court actions and even imprisonment in those
rare incidents where alternative approaches are not successful. This clearly presents
a dilemma as often the situations of families where attendance is a chronic issue
may not be improved by a custodial approach.
Jail Over School Attendance
The Constitution and School Attendance
Juvenile Justice
As part of an EU funded the Child Law Clinic at UCC has developed a manual on
how to make European juvenile justice systems child-friendly. The manual was
presented at a one-day conference in Dublin on May 10th. While Ireland has an opt
out from many EU Justice and Home Affairs provisions under the EU treaties this
international project is still following these developments closely. Of particular
interest have been developments at an EU level in relation to the right to legal
representation. Similarly, the idea of young people receiving advice about
participation in the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme has been discussed. It is
felt such advice might increase the take-up of this option.
Juvenile Justice Manual
Presentation from Naomi Kennan & Dr Angela O’Connell
Opposition Spokespersons
With the formation of the new Government opposition parties and groups have
nominated their spokespersons in the area of children and youth affairs. The Fianna
Fail spokesperson is Anne Rabbitte who is a TD for East Galway. She has previously
been a board member of GRETB, a member of the Loughrea Municipal District, the
Portumna Camogie Club and Portumna Scouts. The Sinn Fein spokesperson is
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD from Cork South Central. He is a Law graduate from
UCC, a Scout Leader with the 5th Cork (The Lough) Scouts, a lifelong member of St.
Finbarr’s Hurling and Football Club. Jan O’Sullivan the former Minister for Education
is Labours spokesperson.
Anne Rabbitte Biography
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire Biography
Jan O'Sullivan Website
Leaving Certificate
Summer time and good weather usually mean its exam time. There has been huge
change at Junior Cycle coupled with some controversy. However, the senior cycle
exam has changed little and is still a source of stress for many students and criticised
by many parties as failing to prepare young people for the world they will face in
many ways. The review process appears to be far slower at senior cycle. The
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment published a document “Proposals
for the Future Development of Senior Cycle Education in Ireland” in 2005! The
document focused on, programmes of study, curriculum components, key skills,
assessment and certification and a different school culture for senior cycle.
The ISSU Leaving Certificate Blog
The NCCA's Proposals for Reform from 2005!
Pride 2016
On Saturday June 25th LGBT young people from Youth Work Ireland and BeLonG To youth services across Ireland, will travel to Dublin to march in Dublin Pride Parade. This year’s theme for the festival is ‘Rebel Rebel’ and there will be 15 - 20 LGBT youth groups from Youth Work Ireland represented with over 200 young people marching. The aim of this event is to: Celebrate all that has been achieved by LGBT youth work in Ireland, raise awareness about the needs of LGBT young people today and envision the future for young LGBT people in Ireland. Dublin Pride 2016 Youth Work Ireland LGBT Groups
Oireachtas Issues
After a long layoff normal Oireachtas business resumed for a few weeks before the
summer recess and new ministers had a chance to deal with some relevant issues.
With ministers familiarising themselves with their briefs there were not be many new
developments but a restating of policy is an interesting point in and of itself.
Youth Work Funding
Child Protection and Bullying
National Educational Psychological Service
Drug and Alcohol Task Forces