Participation Initiatives
Children and Young People's Participation Support Team
In March 2009, the OMCYA established the first phase of a Children and Young People’s Participation Support Team. The full Team will be in place and operational by August 2009. The role of the Participation Support Team is to:
• Provide support for the development of effective Comhairle na nÓg under all 34 CDBs, through driving implementation of actions outlined in the Comhairle na nÓg Implementation Group Report and future actions to be developed by a Children and Young People’s Participation Partnership Committee;
• Support the operation and development of the Dáil na nÓg process;
• Support other children and young people’s participation initiatives.
Two Regional Participation Project Officers have been appointed to the team by Foróige and Youth Work Ireland to provide training and support for Comhairle na nÓg, Dáil na nÓg and other participation initiatives.
The OMCYA Inclusion Programme
During 2007, the OMCYA established the Inclusion Programme to develop best practice in participation, by providing new opportunities for seldom-heard young people to become involved in decision-making structures. This decision was taken in recognition of the difficulties often faced by seldom-heard young people in effectively taking part in Comhairle na nÓg or other decision-making forums for young people.
The aim of the programme is:
• to provide meaningful participative experiences for the young people involved in the programme; and
• to identify good practice in enabling seldom-heard young people to take part in decision-making structures and processes.
The OMCYA invited a range of organisations to apply for funding under this programme. Seven organisations, which represent or work with seldom-heard young people, applied for funding to support the involvement of a number of young people in the OMCYA Children and Young People's Forum (CYPF), Comhairle na nÓg and other programmes or projects that involve children/young people in decision-making.
The funded organisations are:
• Belong To
• Barnardos
• FDYS Youth Work Ireland
• Irish Wheelchair Association
• Irish Association of Young People in Care
• Inclusion Ireland
• Pavee Point
These organisations work with young Travellers, gay and lesbian young people, young people living in care, young people with physical and intellectual disabilities and young people from disadvantaged communities. The OMCYA supplies capacity building for funded organisations and the programme is independently evaluated.
The OMCYA intends to capture the learning from this programme to ensure that an increasing number of seldom-heard young people can take part in decision-making structures and processes. The operation and future focus of Inclusion Programme will be reviewed in Q2 2010, to take account of the outcome of independent evaluation.
The Report of the Evaluation of the Inclusion Programme 2007-2008 is now available here.
National Consultations
The OMCYA provides opportunities for children and young people to contribute their views on issues of national and personal importance, and has conducted consultations with children and young people on a range of issues including,:
• The development of the Children’s Code of Advertising (2004)
• The development of the National Recreation Policy (2005)
• Development of a national set of child wellbeing indicators (2005)
• The development of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship (2006)
• The age of consent for sexual activity (2006)
• The development of the Irish Youth Justice Strategy (2007)
• The misuse of alcohol among young people (2007)
• Mental health consultations with teenagers (2008)
• Consultations on the National Paediatric Hospital (2009)
• Consultations with children and young people in the care of the state (2010)
Consultations with children and young people in the care of the state (2010)
The Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (2009) recommends that children in care should be able to communicate without fear.
In order to ensure that children currently in State care are provided with opportunities to communicate without fear and are effectively listened to, a consultation process with children and young people in State care is being conducted by the OMCYA. Children and young people receiving long-term, non-episodic State care under the Child Care Act (1991) or the Children Act (2001) in the following care settings are being included in the consultation process:
• Foster care (8-12 year olds and 13-18 year olds)
• Residential care and special care
• Children with disabilities living in care
• Detention Schools
• St Patrick’s Institution
• Separated children seeking asylum
• Young people who have recently left the care system
The consultation process is being spearheaded by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA), in co-operation with key stakeholders including, the HSE, the Research Division of the Department of Health and Children, the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS), the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) within HIQA and the Irish Association of Young People in Care (IAYPIC), the Probation Service and other key stakeholders. These bodies are part of the consultation oversight committee.
The aims and objectives of the consultations are to get the views of children and young people in the care of the State on:
• the issues that really matter to them and on which they would like to be heard
• explore existing mechanisms for children and young people to express their views
• make recommendations on future structures to be established for children and young people to express their views
The consultations commenced on 7th January 2010 and will continue until late June. A report of the consultations will be compiled and launched by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in September/October 2010.
Consultations with children and young people on the National Paediatric Hospital (NPH) (2009)
The OMCYA Participation Team worked with the NPH team over a period of several months providing guidance and advice on the most effective methods of getting the views of children and young people in the development of the hospital. In December 2009, the OMCYA Participation Team worked with the National Paediatric Hospital in facilitating consultations with children and young people on development of its new hospital. A report on these consultations will be published by the NPH during 2010.
Mental Health consultations with teenagers (2008)
The OMCYA conducted a series of national consultations with teenagers on mental health in October 2008 in conjunction with the Office for Disability and Mental Health (DOHC), the HSE and the National Office for Suicide Prevention. These organisations are aware of the need for more effective and targeted mental health services for young people and believe that the views of teenagers are critical to the development of such services.
Every second-level school, Youth Reach centre, Traveller Education centre and youth organisation in the country was invited to nominate participants to take part in the consultations. Participants were selected on a basis that ensured a balanced gender, socio-economic, ethnic and geographical spread.
Young people from the Dáil na nÓg Council and the OMCYA Children and Young People’s Forum (CYPF) were involved with adult staff in conducting these consultations, which took place in six locations around the country. Barry Andrews TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, attended one of the consultations.
On 15th June 2009, Minister Andrews and John Maloney TD, Minister for Disability and Mental Health launched the consultation report with a number of teenagers who took part in the consultations.
Download Teenage Mental Health: What Helps and What Hurts (2009)
Advertising and on-line public awareness campaign on mental health aimed at teenagers (2008)
Throughout 2008 and 2009, young people from a number of organisations, including the Dáil na nÓg Council and the OMCYA Children and Young People’s Forum worked with the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention in developing this campaign, using the outcomes of the mental health consultations.
During late 2008 and the first six months of 2009, concepts for the TV advertisement and awareness campaign were focus tested in several forums of young people around the country, including a group of young people who had taken part in the consultations.
In December 2008, a reference panel of 25 young people was established to become involved in the development of the awareness campaign at every stage of the process. Young people from the Dáil na nÓg Council and the OMCYA Children and Young People’s Forum were involved in this panel. The reference panel gave feedback on creative concepts and messages throughout the process of developing the TV advert and online campaign. They advised the marketing company on everything, from the ideal accent for the main character in the advert to the most appropriate clothes for the actors, to appeal to the widest possible audience of teenagers.
The teen mental health TV advertisement and on-line campaign (www.letsomeoneknow.ie) were launched on 10th October 2009 - World Mental Health Day. Young people from the reference panel featured in the TV advertisement.
Children and Young People's Participation Partnership Committee
The OMCYA has established a Children and Young People’s Participation Partnership Committee with strategic oversight of the work of the participation support team. The committee will develop strategic plans that ensure the effective development of Comhairle na nÓg, Dáil na nÓg and other children and young people’s participation structures. NYCI will jointly chair and support the committee with the OMCYA.
The committee replaced the Comhairle na nÓg Implementation Group (CIG), established in 2006, with continued involvement of all existing members of the CIG in the new committee. It comprises of representatives of the OMCYA, Department of Environment and local Government, the youth sector (NYCI, Foróige, Youth Work Ireland and other youth organisations), City and County Development Boards, the education sector through the SLSS (student council support service) the HSE, young people and other key stakeholders. The committee will meet 4 times a year.
