Establishing key priority areas for action
Identifying a draft list of priorities
In 2008, the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Children and Young People recognised that there was a number of cross-cutting issues which would benefit from being driven forward at a Ministerial level and, after extensive consideration, the Sub-Committee agreed on six key priorities to improve the lives of the most marginalised young people to progress the implementation of the Convention.
These priorities were developed and agreed by all Ministers and reflected the issues being raised with them, both in their capacity as Ministers and Members of the Legislative Assembly, by constituents and NGOs
Three key relevant pieces of work have also been carried out independently since 2007 to establish priority action areas for progressing rights. These are:
- A Review of Child Rights in Northern Ireland carried out by the Commissioner for Children and Young People who has a statutory role in monitoring and advising on child rights in Northern Ireland (published November 2008). Eight-seven statutory, voluntary and community sector professionals, 101 parents and carers and 2,114 children and young people aged from 3 to 25 years engaged in the process.;
- The Commissioner’s key priorities for 2008 to 2011 which were established after a process of consultation with 1,453 children and 420 parents, carers and NGOS; and
- A consultation with 132 children and young people carried out in February 2007 in preparation for the UNCRC examination.
The priority action areas identified in each of these pieces of work and the Ministerial Sub-Committee’s six priorities were compared and mapped against the 2008 Concluding Observations to establish a set of 15 draft high level priorities, most of which cover more than one of the Observations.
Finalising our priority areas for action
Young people’s versions of the Children and Young People’s Strategy Action Plan and the UNCRC Concluding Observations were produced for consultation. A series of age appropriate workshops was facilitated by Participation Network groups across Northern Ireland and included many of the most marginalised and difficult to reach children and young people.
Young people were also given the opportunity to give their views on what further actions were needed to address the Concluding Observations via an online questionnaire and media advertising.
The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, NGOs, the Children and Young People’s Parents’ Advisory Group, the Assembly Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the All Party Assembly Group on Children and Young People were also asked for their comments on the draft list of priorities to address the Concluding Observations. Their responses, alongside the feedback from children and young people, was analysed to inform our final list of 14 priority areas for action which are set out in the table below.
| Priority area for action (not ranked) | UNCRC Article | Relevant Paragraphs of Concluding Observations |
|---|---|---|
| Improved co-ordination in implementing children’s rights | 4 | 13, 15 |
| Dissemination, training and awareness raising of the UNCRC | 42, 44 | 21 |
| Counteracting negative portrayal and perceptions of young people | 2 | 25 |
| Improving participation and respect for the views of children and young people | 12 | 33, 67 |
| Safeguarding, including support for families and carers | 6,17e, 18,19,33-36, 39 | 29, 39, 42, 43, 45, 51, 74, 76 |
| Children and young people in alternative care and leaving care | 20, 21 | 45, 47 |
| Children and young people with physical and sensory disabilities | 23 | 53 |
| Mental health and wellbeing | 24, 25 | 57, 63 |
| Young people involved in risky behaviour | 24, 33 | 61,63 |
| Tackling child poverty and social disadvantage | 27 (paras 1-3) | 19, 55, 65, 67 |
| Equity, support and access for all to high quality education | 28, 29 | 67 |
| Play and Leisure | 31 | 69 |
| Youth Justice | 37, 40 | 78 |
| Newcomer/minority ethnic children and Travellers | 2, 27,30 | 25, 65, 67 |
The draft priority areas for action also included:
Bullying
This is now included in the education priority which has been added as a result of the responses to the consultation.
Early years and early intervention.
This was not specifically referred to in the Concluding Observations but was initially included because of the significant body of work emerging which highlights the importance of early intervention and quality early support across a wide range of issues affecting the most vulnerable, marginalised and discriminated against young people. However, as early intervention is key to so many of the above priority areas for action, it is more appropriate to consider it as a supporting theme across the priorities.
