CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ALLIANCE CHILDREN’S RIGHTS Report Card 2018 Card Report report Founded in 1995, the Children’s Rights Alliance unites over 100 members working together to make Ireland one of the best places in the world to be a child. We change card the lives of all children in Ireland by making sure that their rights are respected and protected in our laws, policies and services. Children’s Rights Alliance 2018 7 Red Cow Lane Smithfield Dublin 7 Ireland Ph: +353 1 662 9400 Email: [email protected] Find us on www.childrensrights.ie The Children’s Rights Alliance is a registered charity - CHY No. 11541 © 2018 Children’s Rights Alliance - Republic of Ireland Limited ISBN: 978-0-9928317-7-6 IS GOVERNMENT KEEPING ITS PROMISES TO CHILDREN? KATHARINE KATHARINE HOWARD HOWARD FOUNDATION FOUNDATION Founded in 1995, the Children’s Rights Alliance unites over 100 members working together to make Ireland one of the best places in the world to be a child. We change the lives of all children in Ireland by making sure that their rights are respected and protected in our laws, policies and services. 22q11 Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Ag Eisteacht Irish Traveller Movement Alcohol Action Ireland Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) Amnesty International Ireland Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation An Cosán Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice ASH Ireland Jigsaw Assoc. for Criminal Justice Research and Development Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership (ACJRD) Law Centre for Children and Young People Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) Lifestart National Office ATD Fourth World – Ireland Ltd Mental Health Reform Atheist Ireland Mercy Law Resource Centre Autism Network Ireland Migrant Rights Centre Ireland Barnardos Mounttown Neighbourhood Youth and Family Project Barretstown Camp MyMind Bedford Row Family Project National Childhood Network BeLonG To Youth Services National Museum of Childhood Care Leavers’ Network National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers Catholic Guides of Ireland (NOTA) Child Care Law Reporting Project National Parents Council Post Primary Childhood Development Initiative National Parents Council Primary Children in Hospital Ireland National Youth Council of Ireland COPE Galway One Family Cork Life Centre One in Four Crosscare Parentstop Cybersafe Pavee Point Dental Health Foundation of Ireland Peter McVerry Trust Department of Occupational Science and Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) Occupational Therapy, UCC Realt Beag Disability Federation of Ireland SAFE Ireland Down Syndrome Ireland Saoirse Housing Association Dublin Rape Crisis Centre SAOL Beag Children’s Centre Early Childhood Ireland Scouting Ireland Educate Together School of Education UCD EPIC Sexual Violence Centre Cork EQUATE Simon Communities of Ireland Extern Ireland Social Care Ireland Focus Ireland Society of St. Vincent de Paul Foróige Sonas Domestic Violence Charity Future Voices Ireland Special Needs Parents Association Gaelscoileanna Teo SpunOut.ie GLEN - the LGBTI equality network St. Nicholas Montessori College Immigrant Council of Ireland St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Association Inclusion Ireland St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services Independent Hospitals Association of Ireland Step by Step Child & Family Project The Children’s Rights Alliance grants permission for the Institute of Guidance Counsellors Suas Educational Development reproduction of quotations from this text, provided due Irish Association for Infant Mental Health Teachers’ Union of Ireland acknowledgement of the source is made and provided Irish Association of Social Workers Terenure Rugby Football Club such citations do not exceed 400 words in length. Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children The publication may be reproduced in full or in part if Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) The Prevention and Early Intervention Network accompanied by the following citation: Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2018. Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) The UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, Irish Foster Care Association NUI Galway Irish Girl Guides Traveller Visibility Group Ltd Irish Heart Foundation Treoir Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) UNICEF Ireland Irish Penal Reform Trust youngballymun Irish Primary Principals Network Youth Advocate Programme Ireland (YAP) Irish Refugee Council Youth Work Ireland Irish Second Level Students’ Union (ISSU) Contents Acknowledgements 2 Foreword 3 Grading 4 Key Facts and Statistics 5 Introduction 6 1. Right to Education 9 1.1 Educational Disadvantage 11 1.2 Religious Diversity in Schools 17 1.3 Disability and Additional Needs in Education 22 2. Right to an Adequate Standard of Living 29 2.1 Child and Family Homelessness 31 2.2 Parental Leave and Income Supports 37 2.3 Prevention and Early Intervention 43 3 Right to Health 49 3.1 Primary Care 51 3.2 Mental Health 57 3.3 Physical Health and Wellbeing 63 4 Rights in the Family Environment and Alternative Care 71 4.1 Guardian ad Litem Service 73 4.2 Child Protection 78 4.3 Child Victims of Crime 84 5 Rights in Early Childhood 89 5.1 Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care 91 5.2 Subsidised and School-Age Childcare 98 5.3 Childminding 106 6 Right to Equality 111 6.1 Traveller and Roma Children 113 6.2 Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children 120 6.3 LGBTI+ Children and Young People 128 Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2018 1 Acknowledgements The Children’s Rights Alliance wishes to thank all • One Family those who contributed to researching and compiling • Prevention and Early Intervention Network this report. In particular, the Alliance would like to • Simon Communities of Ireland thank our partners in helping to produce Report • Society of St. Vincent DePaul Card 2018 including The Community Foundation • SpunOut.ie for Ireland, Pobal, the Irish Youth Foundation, the • St Patrick’s Mental Health Services Department of Rural and Community Development • Teachers Union of Ireland and the Katharine Howard Foundation. Special thanks also to Francis Chance, Katharine The Children’s Rights Alliance would like to thank Howard Foundation, Dr Paul Downes of the the Government Departments, statutory and non- Educational Disadvantage Centre for his feedback statutory agencies for their assistance, comments and to Margaret Burns for proofreading and editing and co-operation in preparation of this report: the document. Particular thanks are due to the Children’s Rights Alliance Board for their support and • Department of Children and Youth Affairs oversight of the process. The Alliance would also like • Department of Education and Skills to acknowledge the work of Children Now, based • Department of Housing, Planning and Local in California, whose annual report card provided the Government initial inspiration for this series. • Department of Health • Department of Justice and Equality We extend our thanks to the members of the • Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Assessment Panel who, by assessing the grades • Department of Employment Affairs and Social in each section and adding their considerable Protection experience, validate this report. The grades allocated • Health Service Executive represent the collective views of the Panel rather • National Vetting Bureau than the views of any individual. The Assessment • Pobal Panel comprised: • Reception and Integration Agency • Tusla, the Child and Family Agency • Seamus Boland, Chief Executive Officer, Irish Rural Link The expert contributions of Children’s Rights Alliance • Michael Farrell, Solicitor and Consultant on member organisations are gratefully acknowledged, Human Rights Law in particular: • Sarah Freeman, Director of Policy and Communications, Chambers Ireland • Alcohol Action Ireland • Catherine Ghent, Solicitor, Gallagher Shatter • Barnardos Solicitors • BeLonGTo • Professor Nóirín Hayes, School of Education, • Childhood Development Initiative Trinity College Dublin • Cork Life Centre • David Joyce, Equality Officer, Irish Congress of • Cybersafe Ireland Trade Unions • Dental Health Foundation • Judge Catherine McGuinness, former member • Dublin Rape Crisis Centre of the Supreme Court of Ireland and member of • Focus Ireland the Council of State • Institute of Guidance Counsellors • Gareth Noble, Solicitor, KOD Lyons • Irish Foster Carer’s Association • Dr Conor O’Mahony, School of Law, University • Irish Heart Foundation College Cork • Irish National Teachers Organisation • Irish Refugee Council Finally, massive thanks go to the Report Card team • ISPCC for their incredible hard work and commitment to • National Childhood Network produce a superb publication once again this year. 2 Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2018 Foreword This is the tenth Report Card and the second under and are nearly four times more likely to die in infancy. A Programme for a Partnership Government. Once ‘Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children’ also receives again, our independent panel of experts chaired a ‘D+’ grade. Ireland has made clear progress on its by Judge Catherine McGuinness graded the commitments to relocate and resettle refugees and Government’s performance. asylum seekers from Lebanon and Greece. Initial steps to reform the much-criticised Direct Provision system The Government is awarded an overall ‘C-’ grade for have been taken. living up to its promises to children, an increase on last year’s ‘D+’. This grade represents a satisfactory attempt, The Government gets a ‘C’ for the introduction of a but some children are still left wanting. universal