Joint Committee on Health and Children, 19 December 2013 Question from Senator Jillian van Turnhout to Minister for

Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD in relation to development of Children and Young Peoples Policy Framework: With respect to the Children and Young Peoples Policy Framework, to ask the Minister how cohesion and symmetry will be ensured between the three strategy strands: Early Years Strategy; Childrens Strategy; and Youth Strategy. And, in relation to each Stra tegy, to advise regards the driver for each Strategys development, the stakeholders consulted, and the anticipated start date. Reply from Minister: The new Children and Young Peoples Policy Framework will cover the period 2014-2018. The development of a new policy framework will also meet one of the key recommendations of the implementation plan for the Ryan Report. The Policy Framework will comprehend the continuum from infancy through early and middle childhood to adolescence and early adulthood. It will provide the overarching framework for the development and implementation of policy and services for children and young people. It is envisaged that the Policy Framework will be underpinned by three separate but linked strategies: 1. 2. 3. National Early Years Strategy focusing on the under sixes; National Childrens Strategy capturing the full age cohort of all children under 18; National Youth Strategy focusing on issues affecting adolescents and the transition to adulthood, which may be relevant to children as young as 10 or 12 years but of particular relevance to young people in their late teens and early twenties.

The Policy Framework will bring together key policies relating to children and young people. It will, therefore, be for the whole Government and not just my Department. This will provide a means to strengthen cross-departmental collaboration to promote the well-being of children and young people, and a fresh impetus to a whole-of-government approach to current and emerging issues, including childhood obesity, healthy lifestyles, the impact of media and new technologies, the sexualisation of children and promoting pro-social behaviour. The Policy Framework is at an advanced stage of development and I hope to secure Government approval for it in January 2014. The Early Years Strategy is also under development, following publication of the report of the Expert Advisory Group in October last. Work on the Youth Strategy has been initiated following the conclusion of Irelands successful EU Youth Presidency. Work on the Childrens Strategy will commence next year.

The Senator will be aware of the very extensive consultation that has been conducted to date in respect of both the Framework and the Early Years Strategy. The views of a wide range of interests including children themselves are shaping the development of the Policy Framework and it is being informed by the following inputs: the results of a consultation in 2011, which focussed on children and young people, in which almost 67,000 people throughout the country participated and the results of the analysis of the consultation were published in November 2012; a public consultation of the general public conducted during in 2012. Over 1,000 submissions were received as part of that consultation. An analysis of the submissions has been completed; and the advice of the National Childrens Advisory Council, which represents a range of statutory and non-statutory organisations working with children and young people. An Expert Advisory Group has also supported my Department in drafting the Early Years Strategy. The Policy Framework constituent strategies will be driven by my Department, but other Departments will have a leading role in respect of areas where they hold primary policy responsibility. Implementation structures and processes will be set out in the Framework. These will be used for the delivery of both the Framework and the constituent Strategies, all of which will be implemented over the period 2014 2018. The implementation framework will encompass a whole of Government approach with ongoing input from stakeholders, children and young people and local services.