Oireachtas to hear views of 75000 children and young people

Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children invite Ombudsman for Children’s young advisors to present Big Ballot findings

The views of 75,000 children and young people who took part in the largest ever nationwide consultation of children and young people in Ireland will be presented to members of the Oireachtas in Leinster House today (Thursday) by the Children’s Ombudsman’s young advisors. The meeting will take place on the invitation of Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children and with the assistance of it’s Chair, Deputy Mary O’Rourke, and follows the Ombudsman for Children’s commitment to bring the views of the children and young people who participated to the most senior decision makers in the country.

The Ombudsman for Children’s Big Ballot consultation was an education-based, referendum-style event which took place in November 2007. Children and young people – aged four to 18 years – from schools, Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres in each of the 26 counties explored five issues in classroom based lessons before voting on the issues that were most important to them. The issues were: Family and Care; Play and Recreation; Having a Voice; Health, Wealth and Material Wellbeing; and Education. These issues were identified through academic research and were checked-out with 150 young people from all over Ireland before being put to the wider vote. Family and Alternative Care was the overwhelming priority of the children and young people who took part, winning 31.5% of the vote.

ENDS

Note to Editors

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office has a statutory mandate to promote the rights and welfare of all children living in Ireland. In accordance with Section 7 of the Ombudsman for Children’s Act, 2002, the Ombudsman for Children has an obligation to consult with and highlight issues of concern to children themselves.

All schools, Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres were invited to participate in the Big Ballot.

More information about the Ballot can be found here

Photographs will be supplied by Mawxell Photographers.

Contact Nikki Gallagher at nikki.gallager@oco.ie or 086-8163246.

• 19 June 2008
• Type: Press Release