Government gets C+ on child issues
An assessment carried out by the Children’s Rights Alliance on behalf of more than 90 organisations working with children gives the Government an overall C+ grade for its efforts at safeguarding children’s welfare — the best grade a government has received since the annual exercise began in 2009.
However, “glaring violations” are also highlighted, with an E grade awarded on the subject of child poverty following the harsh measures introduced in last month’s budget which will see a loss of income for many families.
Another fail grade, an even lower F, was given under the heading of children in detention. The failure to progress plans for a proper detention school to take children in trouble or suspected of being in trouble with the law out of St Patrick’s Institution was described as “inexcusable”.
A D grade, which the alliance rates as a “barely acceptable performance with little or no positive impact on children’s lives”, was awarded for progress on alcohol and drugs.
Failures highlighted included the long-overdue national addiction strategy, the abolition of the Office of the Minister for Drugs and the lack of firm measures to tackle the sale of cheap alcohol.
D grades were also given for the confusion surrounding responsibility for, and lack of progress on, the strategy for tackling child poverty, the lack of action to prevent child homelessness and lack of progress on supporting those who do become homeless.
The highest grade awarded was a B+ for child literacy, although a C was given in the same subject grouping for supports for children with special educational needs.
Children’s Rights Alliance chief executive Tanya Ward said it gave some satisfaction to see an improvement on the last overall grade given to the previous government, a D-.
But she stressed the report card was not all good news, with poor performances evident in critical areas. “The Government is allowing an austerity-driven recession to trample on the rights of children and their families and it is also failing to act on the incarceration of young people in St Patrick’s Institution.”
Ms Ward continued: “The grades awarded in Report Card 2012 are based on the new Government’s intentions. Next year, in Report Card 2013, we will be basing our grades solely on deliverables.”
The report card awards grades under 19 headings in five main subject groupings. The best overall group grade, a B, came under Children’s Rights, mainly because of the promise that a referendum will be held this year and that efforts will begin on reforming patronage and pluralism within primary education.
