Ombudsman calls for 'gear change' in how Government considers children 

Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon made his comments as his office published two reports to be submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. File picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

The Children's Ombudsman has said there needs to be a significant "gear change" in how the Government considers children in its policies and decisions, including ringfencing funds for mental health supports and tackling bullying.

Niall Muldoon made his comments as his office published two reports to be submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, and which contain first-person testimony from young people about how various issues impact them and their communities.

The reports are ahead of the UN committee's periodic review of Ireland and how it is delivering for children next January. One is a report based on the views of more than 5,500 young people which, alongside calls for changes at school level, including exam reform and bullying, looks at broader issues, including the shortage of supports for those who need them. Young people directly refer to the housing crisis, the shortage of services for people with a disability, and delays in proper health and mental health provision.

The other report is one submitted by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO), itemising what it sees as the most pressing issues and making recommendations in 43 areas where improvements are needed for the State to more fully meet its obligations to children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Dr Muldoon said it is now "a really dangerous time" for children, with many families hit by the Covid-19 pandemic now impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and their interests needing to be put "front and centre" of not just the upcoming budget but in all Government planning.

"We need a significant gear change so they are heard," said Dr Muldoon, adding that the three main issues highlighted by young people were education, including exam reform and lack of assistance for people with mental health, dealing with inequality and a lack of inclusivity, and needing to be heard.

'Right to be heard'

Dr Muldoon said it was about "that sense of children's right to be heard — are we taken seriously, are we respected? Is the interaction with us meaningful and genuine by Government and public agencies? That is the gear change I am talking about."

One of the issues stressed in both reports is the need for ringfenced mental health support for young people, but Dr Muldoon said some of the recommendations were not resource-intensive.

The OCO report highlights how Ireland is the only EU member state to not yet ratify the optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography, despite having signed up to do so in 2020. 

In addition, the OCO followed up on an earlier report it carried out on the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 and associated lockdowns on children to call for young people to be considered when such public health measures are employed.

It also said vulnerability assessments needed to be carried out on unaccompanied minors arriving here, including those from Ukraine. 

It also calls for Ireland to strengthen measures to prevent self-harm and suicide among children and to provide timely, safe access to appropriate services for children who are self-harming or suicidal. It also suggests Ireland could explore Scotland's lead and lower the voting age to 16 and wants more resourcing for children at risk and an updated action plan on bullying and the anti-bullying procedures for primary and post-primary schools, including better data on the scale of the problem.

The reports also feature first-person testimony from young people, some of whom have experienced racism and discrimination, or have witnessed it around them.

"The level of discrimination that children and young people appear to experience — that is new to me," said Dr Muldoon.