2024

Building Children’s Futures: Using Children’s Rights to recover from the Global Pandemic 

September 2022

Dr Danielle Kennan, Dr. Natasha Daniels 

This project will examine the effect of the pandemic measures on activities and services for children and young people through consultations with groups that were disproportionately impacted. By working with youth researchers, Ireland will be used as a case study to document how child participation structures operated during the pandemic. Best practice in Covid-19 responses in Europe will be identified, and the project will explore how Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIAs) can embed a children’s rights approach, including during times of emergency. A prototype CRIA and training supports aimed at embedding children’s rights will be developed.   

The Children’s Report.
 
Launched in February 2024, this report explores how key decisions made in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic impacted children’s lives. The research, conducted in part by young people themselves, interviewed 50 children and young people in addition to 13 officials who played a key part in decision making during the pandemic. It reflects on what Ireland did right and could have done differently to ensure children’s rights were protected during periods of lockdown.

Read the full Report here.

Watch the live recording of our online launch event here.

Read our Press Release on the launch of The Children’s Report here.

The Research Report: Implementing Child Rights Impact Assessments
 
The second output of the project, this report identifies best practice in responding to children’s needs in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic, and reviews the use of CRIAs across Europe, outlining examples of how other countries have implemented child-centred approaches in policy responses. This report provides valuable insights and opportunities for learning in an Irish context, helping stakeholders in the decision-making process understand how we can strengthen our commitment to children’s rights and ensure that decisions affecting children prioritise their best interests and wellbeing.

Read the full Report here.

CRIA Toolkit and Training Materials
 
In June 2024, we worked with Tusla Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC) to support the implementation of CRIA in Ireland through rolling out introductory training sessions in Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, Dundalk, Kilkenny, Naas and Sligo on children’s rights and how to use Child Rights Impact Assessments. This training was delivered to over 100 local stakeholders and decision-makers and aimed embed CRIAs as an integral part of the decision-making process to ensure children’s rights are considered at all times, particularly in times of emergency.

Following the development and rollout of the pilot training on the implementation of Child Rights Impact Assessments we have published the CRIA toolkit and materials used as part of the training process and accompanying guidance documents. These materials and resources aim to assist and enable national and/or local government, as well as statutory bodies, in making decisions affecting children and young people.

Find the Child Rights Impact Assessments Training Toolkit here.

Read the Child Rights Impact Assessments Training Presentation here.

Training Facilitators can follow the Child Rights Impact Assessments Guide for Trainers here.

The CRIA Training Video
 
Later this year, we published a training video that aims to assist in the implementation and understanding of Child Rights Impact Assessments in Ireland. This video provides context into the meaning of children’s rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), how we can use Child Rights Impact Assessments to positively impacts decision-making from a child rights perspective. It also takes viewers through a step-by-step guide in carrying out a Child Rights Impact Assessment following our CRIA template. Audiences gain a closer look at the youth input into the research process of the ‘The Children’s Report’ with a member of the Children and Young People’s Advisory Group (CYPAG), and interviews with national and international case studies.

Watch the Child Rights Impact Assessments Training Video here.