Annual Symposium: Delivering Integrated Policy and Services for Children

What the paper says

1. INTRODUCTION The Irish Public Service has been relatively strong historically in the area of policy formulation. I have come to the conclusion, however, that we are relatively weak when it comes to implementation and many good policies fail due to a lack of appropriate structures and processes to ensure their successful implementation from policy objectives to tangible outcomes. This paper outlines the role of the Office of the Minister for Children (OMC), which is seeking to overcome that difficulty and bring about more effective implementation of services and interventions for children through cross-Departmental and cross-sectoral working. In December 2005, the Government announced an expanded role for the Minister for Children. The effect of the decision was to provide for the establishment of the Office of the Minister for Children, bringing together under one organisation responsibility for a range of policy matters related to children. The Government also decided that the Minister for Children would attend Cabinet meetings, an indication of the importance the Government attaches to issues relating to children and their wellbeing. The Office of the Minister for Children focuses on harmonising policy issues that affect children in areas such as early childhood care and education, youth justice, child welfare and protection, children and young people's participation, research on children and young people and crosscutting initiatives for children. The OMC supports the Minister for Children in driving the implementation of: * The National Children's Strategy (2000-2010) * The National Childcare Investment Programme (2006-2010) * The Children Act (2001) and the Child Care Act, 1991 * Developing policy on child welfare and child protection The OMC also maintains a general strategic oversight of bodies with responsibility for developing and delivering services for children. The OMC is a cross-cutting Government office located in the Department of Health and Children. Staff working on The Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform), on child welfare and child protection (from the Department of Health and Children) and from the National Children's Office amalgamated in early 2006 to form the OMC. In addition, staff from the Irish Youth Justice Service of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and from the Early Years Education Policy in the Department of Education and Science will be co-located in the OMC, to provide a joined-up government approach to delivering policy and services for children. (See Figure 1) [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] 2. ORIGINS OF THE OMC There were two major influences on the Government's thinking when it came to the establishment of the OMC. The first was Ireland's relatively poor performance before the UN's Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the mid-1990s. Ireland was criticized by the UN Committee on that occasion for the absence of a focused Governmental approach to the needs of children. This led to the development of the National Children's Strategy, published in 2000, and the establishment of the National Children's Office (NCO). The intention was that the NCO would drive the implementation of the Strategy across all Government departments and agencies. The NCO made significant progress in developing the concept of participation and consultation with children and it also developed capacity in the field of research on children's lives. However, it was less successful in influencing mainstream Government departments and agencies in relation to their policies on children, as it lacked the requisite power or authority. A second influence on the establishment of the OMC was a review of youth justice services which was undertaken under my leadership in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. …