Children and Young People

The Children and Young People’s Strategy was approved by the Northern Ireland Executive on 10 December 2020.

On behalf of the Executive, the Department of Education has lead responsibility for liaising with departments as they work towards implementation of the new strategy. The Aim of the new Strategy is “To work together to improve the well-being of all children and young people in Northern Ireland - delivering positive long lasting outcomes”

Children's Services Co Operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015

The Strategy has been developed in the context of the Children’s Services Co-operation Act (NI) 2015, (CSCA) which places a duty on the Executive to adopt a strategy to improve the well-being of children and young people, and requires that for the purpose of determining children’s well-being, regard is to be had to the relevant provision of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Act defines the well-being of children and young people against eight characteristics including: physical and mental health; living in safety and with stability; learning and achievement; economic and environmental well-being; the enjoyment of play and leisure; living in a society in which equality of opportunity and good relations are promoted; the making by children and young people of a positive contribution to society; and living in a society which respects their rights.

The Strategy seeks to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people that align with all eight characteristics in the Act.

Programme for Government

The CSCA forms part of the legislative framework alongside the Programme for Government (PfG) which must be delivered by departments and statutory authorities. The PfG has a number of strategic outcomes, one of which is that ‘we give our children the best start in life’. This is to be achieved through the implementation of the Children and Young People’s Strategy with provides the strategic framework through which departments can achieve the PfG outcomes for children and young people. The eight outcomes in the Children and Young People’s Strategy are not additional to the outcomes in PfG, rather they mirror the PfG outcomes, however, they are described in terms of the particular needs of children.

Executive’s Children and Young People’s Strategy 2020-2030

The Executive adopted the Children and Young People’s Strategy on 10 December 2020 and it has been published. The Executive’s Children and Young People’s Strategy 2020-2030 supersedes the Cross- departmental Children and Young People’s Strategy 2019-2029. This sets out the framework for progressing children’s issues. The Strategy is designed to provide an overarching holistic structure to drive forward and monitor how departments are progressing the eight outcomes to improve the well-being of children and young people.

A wide range of government policies, strategies, programmes and services more specific to different aspects of children and young people’s lives underpin and work to deliver on the strategy; these are either currently in place in departments or under development. Further information is available on the Department's website at Children and Young People’s Strategy 2020-2030.

An ‘easy read’ version of the Executive’s Children and Young People’s Strategy 2020-2030 has been produced and is available on the Department’s website at Children and Young People’s Strategy 2020-2030.

In addition, a children and young people friendly version of the Executive’s Children and Young People’s Strategy 2020-2030 is also under development and will also be available on the website in due course.’

We would like to thank the young people from the Youth Council who met with us in Banbridge Resource Centre and Brownlow Resource Centre and the NICCY Youth Panel, for their help in designing the logo for the Strategy.

Children and Young People’s Strategy topics

• Consultation on the draft Children and Young People’s Strategy
• Analysis of Public Consultation responses
• Development of Management Structures
• What will happen next?
• Children’s Services Co Operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015
• Our Children and Young People – Our pledge Ten year strategy for children and young people in Northern Ireland 2006-2016
• Consultation on Children and Young People's Strategy initial 3-year Delivery Plan 2021-2024
• Children and Young People's Strategy Initial 3-year Delivery Plan 2021-2024 - Consultation Report
• Commissioner for Children and Young People
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Contact us