Integration of Children’s Policies

Sylda LangfordOffice of the Minister for

Children

Irish Youth Justice Service Biennial Conference

Slieve Russell Hotel

6th and 7th March, 2008

Background to Creation of OMC

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1998) Creation of National Children’s Office (NCO) and

development of National Children’s Strategy 2000 - 2010

Review of Youth Justice Services 2004 - 2005 December 2005 Government decision to

establish OMC based on international evidence that good outcomes for children required joined-up services for children and families

Minister for Children to attend Cabinet meetings

Key role of the OMC

The key role of the OMC is to support the Minister for Children in: driving implementation of National Children’s

Strategy (2000 – 2010); implementing the National Childcare Investment

Programme (2006 – 2010); developing policy and legislation on child welfare

and child protection; driving implementation of Children Act 2001

(children before the Courts); implementing Towards 2016 commitments in

relation to children's services.

Responsibility for harmonising policy issues that affect children in:

early childhood care and education,

youth justice,

child welfare and protection,

children and young people's participation,

research on children and young people and

cross-cutting initiatives for children.

Office of the Minister for Children

Policy Task

Clear Articulation of National Policy:

Published in The Agenda for Children’s Services: A Policy Handbook, December, 2007

No new policy; policy restatement based on internationally accepted best practice

Connecting with family & community strengths

Purpose of the Agenda

Set out strategic direction of policy in relation to children’s health & social services

Assist policy-makers, senior managers and front-line practitioners to – Engage in “reflective practice”– Identify their own role within the national policy

framework Encourage other Depts/Agencies to adopt a

similar approach in their children’s services

Building on existing policy Key messages:

– Whole child/whole system approach– Focus on better outcomes

Supporting families is the central concern “Agenda” provides the means for

managers and frontline staff to direct and evaluate their service delivery against this strategic direction.

Promoting good outcomes

Policy formulation needs to be driven by the pursuit of better outcomes

Desired outcomes are achieved by the implementation of policy within services

Understanding and commitment to an agreed set of national outcomes is required

Shared responsibility at all levels in all agencies for achieving agreed outcomes

Better outcomes through policies and services working together

Even better outcomes through policies, research and services working together

aspired

for

OUTCOMES achieved

SERVICES POLICY

ACADEMIC/SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

Seven national service outcomes for children

healthy both physically & mentally supported in active learning safe from accidental and intentional harm economically secure secure in the immediate and wider

physical environment part of positive networks of family,

friends, neighbours and community included and participating in society

Five service characteristics to achieve better outcomes

A: Connecting with family & community strengths

B: Ensuring quality services C: Opening access to services D: Delivering integrated services E: Planning, monitoring and &

evaluating services

Access to services

Planning, monitoring & evaluation

Getting there together

Each Dept/Agency has its own policy and organisational focus and concerns

Needs to be supplemented by the shared pursuit of whole-child approach

OMC will lead this by– Directing partnerships within its own area– Promoting co-operation in other areas– Developing a cross-departmental service

plan for children’s services

Theoretical Rationale: the ‘whole child’ perspective

– Child as active participant in own development– Importance of family and other relationships– Formal and informal supports

multiple dimensions of child’s development

Renders certain distinctions redundant e.g. care v. education, learning v. recreation, detention v. special care

Why focus on children?

Inter-agency planning, collaboration and co-operation logical follow-on to ‘whole child’ policy framework

Our work to date has been service-led

Work must be led by the outcomes we hope to achieve for children

Policies and services must be developed from there

All aspects of child well-being are interrelated

Continued

Cannot respond to child well-being in single focus, with fragmented actions and interventions

Need to develop policies and plan services (and in some cases deliver them) with colleagues working in different sections and agencies to our own

Training required – interpretations can be coloured by specific professional training and agency culture

Stop any practices / actions which make no difference or carry the risk of poor / bad outcomes for children.

If systems cannot help children, we have to change the systems

Added value of OMC

parties working strategically together

multiple players strategically tackling ‘old chestnuts’ together – HSE, IYJS, Garda, Courts, Probation, Dept Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dept of Health and Children, Dept of Education and Science, Dept Environment, Heritage and Local Government, CDBs

Continued

The Agenda for Children’s Services: A Policy Handbook provides a common shared vision of aspirations and expectations for children across universal and targeted services

New Strategies of IYJS and Probation Service illustrate cross-agency working in practice flowing from harmonisation of policy issues within OMC.

Challenge to us in 2008

challenge of leadership and management at all levels

challenge to enable and support front line workers to play the key role they should be playing

challenge to put the child and family at centre of services – must adapt and work together outside our silos to achieve the best possible outcomes for our children

OMC will measure success through:

National Longitudinal Study of Children in Ireland

State of the Nation’s Children Reports (every two years starting in 2006)

National Data Strategy being developed under Towards 2016 to inform data around children’s lives.

Conclusion

we are at the very early stages of cross-agency strategic developments for children

every successful journey begins with the first steps and we have taken these first steps of joined up Government in Ireland for the sake of our children.

Integration of Children’s Policies

Sylda LangfordOffice of the Minister for

Children

Irish Youth Justice Service Biennial Conference

Slieve Russell Hotel

6th and 7th March, 2008