AQW 53877/11-16

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 04/02/2016
Answered On Date: 18/02/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister how they are engaging with the community and voluntary sectors to develop a framework for a set of children’s rights indicators.

Answer:

The aim of the Child Rights Indicator Framework is to develop a set of outcome indicators which can be used at a strategic level to measure and monitor the Executive’s progress on effectiveness and achievement against the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

These Child Rights indicators are not separate, but integral to the development of the new Children and Young People’s Strategy and will provide a clear and practical alignment between achievement of the outcomes set out in the Strategy and the measurement of improved compliance with delivery on children’s rights.

Extensive engagement with the voluntary and community sector has been ongoing since June 2015, as we move forward with a co-design approach to develop a new Children and Young People Strategy. This has included: consideration of the recommendations in the NGO, Children’s Commissioners and Human Rights Commission reports to the UN Committee, which fed into the UNCRC List of Issues published in November 2015. Ongoing workshops and one to one meetings have been held with voluntary and community organisations, monthly updates on the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) website (two-way interaction) and the DSC monthly updates. As we move forward, engagement on the new Strategy will also include obtaining the views of a wide range of children and young people and their parents and carers building on what they have already shared with us. This engagement process will continue through to the publication of the new Strategy and on an ongoing basis thereafter.