A manifesto for children in Northern Ireland Room for improvement A manifesto for children in Northern Ireland Every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential and no child should be forgotten or invisible in our society. All children and young people should have someone to turn to for help, support and advice whenever they need it. Barnardo’s Northern Ireland, NCH Northern Ireland, the NSPCC Northern Ireland and Save the Children have been campaigning together to improve children’s lives for many years. In the run up to the general election we have come together again to ensure the needs and rights of the most vulnerable children and young people in our society are given the highest political priority. To that end we have prepared this Manifesto for Children in Northern Ireland. Since 2001 the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly, while power was devolved, have taken many steps to improve children’s lives. This includes pledging to eradicate child poverty by 2020; establishing the Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People with strong powers and functions; introducing new safeguarding legislation on employment checking, with unique provisions on accreditation; setting up the Children’s Fund and the Northern Ireland Assembly Inquiry into child protection services and the development of a 10-year strategy for children and young people. However, child and infant mortality rates in Northern Ireland are still extremely high; child poverty levels continue to be unacceptably high; inequalities in educational attainment persist, impacting particularly on those children who are most disadvantaged; and the gap between children’s needs and policy and service responses remains too wide. Child and family services in Northern Ireland are historically under-funded. The most recent budget for Northern Ireland will effectively reduce the spend on children’s services and lead to the removal of the Children’s Fund, thereby limiting resources available for family and children’s services. The lack of dedicated resources and transparency in relation to the delivery of targeted outcomes for children in Northern Ireland, compared to Britain, increasingly compounds the situation. We call on all political parties to ensure that: • a minister for children is appointed to co-ordinate and act as champion for children’s issues across government in Northern Ireland • significantly more resources are directed towards children’s policy and services • children in trouble with the law are treated as children in need of protection and support • refugee children are given the same rights to protection and support as other children • children are given the same legal protection from assault as adults • priority is given to improving the educational attainment of children in care • the minimum income for all families is raised to guarantee the health and well-being of their children. Much has been achieved but to reach our goal of being a society where all our children are valued and their well-being is prioritised, the next five years will be crucial. If we wish to give our children the opportunities they are entitled to in life, change has to happen. There is room for improvement. Lynda Wilson Barnardo’s Northern Ireland Jan Leightley NCH Northern Ireland Ian Elliott NSPCC Northern Ireland Sheri Chamberlain Save the Children A manifesto for children 2 Contents Introduction Contents 3 Children have the right to live their lives free from fear, discriminated against; in particular, children living in abuse, persecution and prejudice. They are entitled to poverty, refugee children, children in the youth justice grow up knowing they are valued and are important system, children in care and those in need of Introduction 4 members of our society. safeguarding from abuse and exploitation. Many of these children experience multiple disadvantages as a result of We are four of the UK’s leading children’s charities. What their race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability or Youth justice 5-6 follows is our analysis of the current situation and our membership of a minority group, such as Travellers. Their recommendations for change. We hope that these voices are frequently unheard or forgotten in the lead up Refugee and asylum 7-8 recommendations will be helpful to those who have a to a general election. Westminster focus and in respect to matters when The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child seeking children devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is our belief (UNCRC) applies to all children and young people aged that every child in the UK is entitled to the same support under 18, and provides the fundamental principles and and protection, no matter where they live. Children’s policy Protecting children: framework for meeting children’s rights the world over. In must be consistently strong across the jurisdictions. safeguarding from harm 9-10 2002, while praising the UK Government and the devolved administrations on their progress for children’s rights, the In producing this manifesto, we are seeking to focus sexual exploitation and trafficking 11-12 UN drew up a report which highlighted breaches of attention on the need for change and to argue for a children’s economic, social, cultural, civil and political strong agenda for children in the next parliament. We rights and made strong recommendations for change. In Children and young people in care 13-14 welcome the progress that has already been made by the this manifesto we have included their concerns, as we present UK Government and the previous Northern believe it is essential that the Office of the First Minister Ireland Assembly, to improve the lives of children in this Poverty: and Deputy First Minister ensures the full implementation jurisdiction, in particular, through the establishment of the of the UNCRC in Northern Ireland. The structures and children and families 15-16 Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young monitoring arrangements for the strategy must reflect People. We also welcome the Northern Ireland gaining independence 17-18 cross-departmental and sectoral working. Executive’s decision and the Government’s continuing commitment to develop and implement a 10-year Improving the lives of children and young people must List of recommendations 19-20 strategy for children and young people in Northern be the cornerstone of any agenda for change. Ireland. However, much more needs to be done. Incorporating the rights, principles and provisions of the Other organisations 21 Our focus is on those children and young people in UNCRC into domestic law is vital if we are to achieve a supporting the manifesto Northern Ireland who are the most disadvantaged and better future for all children and young people. A manifesto for children 4 Youth justice UN concerns • The age of criminal responsibility should be raised considerably. • No child should be tried as an adult, irrespective of the circumstances or gravity of his/her offence. • The privacy of all children in conflict with the law is not fully protected. • The use of custody, conditions of detention and the lack of the “safeguarding and welfare” principle in Key facts youth justice, legislation and policy are detrimental to children. • 880 young people under 18, in Northern Ireland, had a legal finding against them in • The detention of children should be a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. respect of an offence in 2004. • Children should be separated from adults in detention, and alternative measures to the deprivation of • 323 young people in Northern Ireland were admitted to a juvenile justice centre in 2002. liberty should be used. • Since 2001 the number of young people in Northern Ireland given a custodial sentence • The conditions of detention need to be urgently reviewed so that all children who are deprived has been steadily increasing. of their liberty have an equal statutory right to education, health and child protection as other children. • The only Young Offenders’ Institution in Northern Ireland is equivalent to a category C prison. • £19,000 is the average cost of keeping a young person in custody for a year in Northern Ireland compared to £3,900 for a community based alternative. Children have a right to privacy We are increasingly concerned that the introduction of The age of criminal responsibility Anti-Social Behaviour Orders will lead to growing Northern Ireland has one of the lowest ages of criminal numbers of young people in custody as a result of responsibility in Europe, with children being held breaches of such Orders – a trend we have already responsible for their actions from the age of 10. Our clearly seen in England and Wales. criminal justice system is based on an adult model, which is often intimidating for children and fails to take their These Orders promote the naming and shaming of particular needs into account. Children involved in individual children, and in our local context this could put criminal court cases often have no understanding of the children at real risk of serious physical harm by identifying proceedings and are therefore unable to fully participate them. It may also lead to them having to live with a label in them. Although the Justice (NI) Act 2002 introduced they find hard to escape. some improvements, such as the restorative justice arrangements, the system still fails to recognise children as children first and foremost. This is so pervasive that a fundamental review is needed. Children in custody Recommendations A custodial setting is no place for children and conditions Political parties must press the Government to: in custody remain completely unsuitable for them. • raise the age of criminal responsibility Northern Ireland’s only Young Offenders’ Institution is a • review the use of restraint and solitary confinement Category C prison with a higher level of security than • invest in alternatives to custody for children many adult prisons in England.