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Rights-based approach to advice

The Policy team in the Ombudsman for Children’s Office promotes the rights and welfare of all children in Ireland in different ways, including by looking at laws and policies affecting children to make sure that they respect and protect children’s rights.

Examples of our rights-based approach are:

  • We compare draft laws and policies affecting children to international and European agreements that Ireland has signed up to, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and give advice to the Government about changes that should be made.
  • We check whether laws and policies are being implemented in a way that meets the children’s rights standards that are in place.
  • We go to Oireachtas Committee meetings to speak about the effect, or possible effect, of laws and policies on children and share our recommendations.
  • We meet with politicians and policy-makers to talk about issues affecting children and their rights.
  • We encourage public bodies, schools and voluntary hospitals to develop policies that promote the rights and welfare of children.

You can find all of our policy work in our online library.

Working with others to create child-centered policies

We work with organisations, policy-makers and others whose work impacts on children to promote and support the development of a child-centred and rights-respecting approach to their policies and practices.

Joining the Dots and work with the Adoption Authority are examples of some projects we have worked on.