The Situation in Brief
Northern Ireland enjoys broad awareness of children's rights and needs, innovative programmes, and interest in evidence-based services for children. But Northern Ireland has invested less in children than has the rest of the United Kingdom and, furthermore, government responsibility for children's issues crosses many departments and agencies. As a result, families must navigate confusing social welfare and justice systems. Often non profit organisations working on behalf of children and families find themselves working in isolation, rarely sharing information, strategies or goals with one another. While there are some examples of preventative children’s services the full benefits of investing early and focusing on heading off potential future harm is not yet a common feature.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provides a set of agreed-upon international standards that is a basis for holding governments to account in a wide range of areas straddling civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights for children. Regular reports from the UN on how well the Convention is being implemented provide opportunities to advocate for change and point out areas where implementation is falling short. Improved and expanded policies and programmes for children and families will only be realised when there is a strong network of organisations, communities and young leaders advocating for children and youth.
Children & Youth Programme Goals in Northern Ireland
- Promote the value of prevention and early intervention in the lives of children and young people, and increase the evidence base for effective service delivery
- Advance children's rights and full implementation of the UN Convention, by supporting advocacy and campaigns, building alliances, and developing youth leadership and civic engagement
Children & Youth Resources
- Action Research Knowledge Kids' Life and Times Survey
www.ark.ac.uk/klt/ - Action Research Knowledge Young Life and Times Survey www.ark.ac.uk/klt/
- Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, www.niccy.org
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, www.nisra.gov.uk
- Queens University, Belfast - Institute of Child Care Research, www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/InstituteofChildCareResearch/
- Queens University, Belfast - Childhood, Transition and Social Justice Initiative www.qub.ac.uk/ctsji
Facts at a Glance
- 28% of the children in Northern Ireland live below the poverty line with 8% living in severe poverty.1
- Children in Northern Ireland are more than twice as likely to be living in sever and persistant poverty than in the rest of the UK.2
- Over 20% of children aged 5-15 have a moderate to severe mental health disorder requiring mental health services.3
- Ten-year suicide trends to 2007 show a 61% increase in Northern Ireland.4
- 22% of suicides are among people under age25.5
- Around 8% of boys aged 15 and under have a disability, compared with 4% of girls of the same age.6
Footnotes
1. Source: Monteith, M and McLoughlin, E (2006), Child and Family Poverty in NI, Save the Children/Equality and Social Inclusion in Ireland
2. Source: Persistent Child Poverty in Northern Ireland (2008) Save the Children
3. Source: The Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability (2006), A Vision of a Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), CAMHS
4. Source: Stewart, B et al (2007), Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System, Second Update Bulletin 2007, DHSSPSNI 29/10/07
5. Source: The Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability (2006), A Vision of a Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), CAMHS
6. Source: NISRA (2007), The Prevalence of Disability and Activity Limitations amongst adults and children living in private households in NI, July 2007, Bulletin 1