AQW 6546/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 15/02/2024
Answered On Date: 23/02/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister what measures the Executive Office has put in place to ensure that young people are actively consulted on the creation of policy which will impact them.

Answer:

Our officials follow the relevant advice from the Equality Commission and that contained within the Department’s Equality Scheme when preparing to undertake any policy consultation.

Where policies are likely to have a particular impact on children and young people, policy makers are also asked to consider whether a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) is appropriate. The CRIA aims to embed children’s rights considerations at the outset of developing legislation, strategies and policies. TEO conducted a CRIA on the proposals for the allocation of its 2023/24 budget and included this in the public consultation.

A recent example of the Department’s direct engagement with children and young people would be the Race Relations Order Review consultation which was launched on 27 March 2023. A number of events were held and social media was used to raise awareness. The consultation ran for 12 weeks and formally ended on 18 June 2023. To obtain views from children and young people the Department engaged the Education Authority to conduct eight separate consultation events on our behalf. These events were divided into two groups and included four schools and four youth groups from a disparate geography. Officials are in receipt of the report covering the events, comments from which will be incorporated into the final consultation report. The formal public consultation also included an easy read version and a specific children and young people’s questionnaire for responses.

Similarly, TEO officials are seeking the participation of children and young people in the development of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls draft Strategic Framework. A series of youth panels have been established and includes a mix of genders, ages and Section 75 representation. Developed in partnership with the Education Authority, the youth panels input has informed the development of the draft Framework. The youth panels also contributed to an easy read version of our public consultation and advised on terminology used to increase accessibility.