Children's Policy

OBJECTIVE ONE: Improving Personal Well-being

Introduction:

Objective One will focus on children's physical and mental health in regard to the provision of Government health services and health education.

A. A Healthy Start

A.1. The Birth: (Maternity and Early Care Services)

The physical and emotional state of the expectant mother is of huge importance, both to the mother and to the baby in the womb. The early provision of information to women about the adverse affects of alcohol and other drugs, smoking, bad diet, and inadequate nutrition on the unborn is vital: disabilities, preterm birth, miscarriage and perinatal death have all been linked to such practices and deficiencies. This education process should begin at secondary level and be reinforced when an expectant mother presents herself to the medical services. The health services should also mount a major publicity campaign around these issues, particularly given the rise in ‘binge drinking' and smoking among young women.

It is also important that women feel confident about the birthing process. There has been a growing ‘medicalisation' of pregnancy and birth. There has also been a trend to centralise birth in large, high-technology units, a development which will fail to offer equality of access to services, particularly to women in rural areas. The birthing process should be in as stress-free an environment as possible, both for the mother and the child.

Breastfeeding rates in Ireland, at 40%, remain the lowest in Europe. Research has shown that breastfed babies have the best start in life, with lower levels of blood cholesterol, obesity and blood pressure later in life.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Promote a shift to an entirely new model of maternity care that will be decentralised, accessible, midwife-led, and form an integral part of the new primary health care strategy. There should be greater availability of home births;
• Promote breastfeeding as an important preventative health measure;
• Ensure that screening and surveillance services for newborns are updated and fully implemented; e.g. a screening programme for cystic fibrosis – Ireland's most common life-threatening genetically inherited disease – has still not been implemented;
• Provide comprehensive community-based antenatal and postnatal care, which will include support to parents about their child's health and emotional needs and assist parents in detecting early signs of any condition/impairment requiring specialist attention (early intervention).

A.2 Growing Up:

A.2.1 Accessibility to Health Knowledge and Services [Prevention and Cure]

In line with the Green Party's focus on primary healthcare, it will be our policy to extend accessibility and awareness of health services, promote health education, and give far greater priority to community healthcare. Access to good healthcare should not be dependent on the ability to pay.

The Green Party will ensure that:

• Medical cards are extended to all children under 18;
• Increased funding is provided to community groups, schools, and other appropriate family support structures to facilitate ongoing information, education and training for all parents as their children grow and develop. Such services will be provided in all communities, not just disadvantaged.
• Preventative medicine and early detection are boosted via such measures as increasing the frequency of developmental medical checks in schools.
• The prevention and treatment of allergies and asthma are given major attention and that a network of regional public health facilities specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic conditions are established. The Green Party will continue to pursue policies that diminish the contributory factors to these health problems, such as smoking, poor air quality, food additives and pesticides.
• Repeal the Disability Act 2005 to assure ‘rights-based' access to services;
• Free and confidential health centres for young people under 25, such as piloted by the Cork-based Youth Health Service, will be established in other parts of the country;
• The health promotion unit within the Department of Health is given increased resources and a higher profile;
• A national sexual health strategy is developed and the present sex education programmes in schools are updated and seen to be fully implemented.

A.2.2 Increased Awareness of Mental Health

Irish youth suicide rates are the fifth highest in the EU.

Child and adolescent mental health services are grossly under-resourced and developed. Children have been inappropriately treated in adult units and those with behavioural and mental health problems detained in prisons and places of detention when their behavioural and mental health problems should have been properly treated.

The issue of child abuse has also been well documented. All measures must be put in place to protect children, and vetting plans for those working with children must be implemented as a matter of urgency. Parents should be encouraged to be pro-active in assuring that organisations in which their children are involved have adequate child protection policies in place. The ‘stay safe' programmes must be fully implemented in our schools.

The Green Party will:

• Encourage school-based preventive mental health interventions that work in liaison with parents in early detection of mental health problems;
• Institute comprehensive data collection systems to determine the uptake of mental health services by children, waiting list figures, etc., to facilitate the better provision of services and planning;
• Introduce mental health education, dealing with a range of issues from depression to bullying, to the secondary school curriculum;
• Increase the children's mental health staff numbers via innovative training programmes (as advocated by the World Health Organisation and Amnesty International);
• Ensure that within every health board area there is an inpatient psychiatric treatment unit for young people;
• Support a Constitutional amendment enhancing the rights of children and the supremacy of the welfare of the child, and allowing children to access support services independently of adults;
• Establish the Register of Persons considered unsafe to work with children and ensure that the Gardaí Vetting Unit is extended, adequately staffed and resourced without delay;
• Fully support the newly launched National Office for Suicide Prevention, and will assure the agency is adequately resourced to engage in mental health promotion across a range of organisations and targeted vulnerable groups.

B. Healthy Lifestyle

The best prescription for any child's sense of well-being is a healthy physical and emotional environment, with a wholesome diet and proper exercise. Unfortunately, lack of healthy eating and exercise are creating major health problems for our children and for our strained health services.

B.1.Healthy Eating

The quality and safety of our food has always been a major campaigning focus of the Green Party. Our food policy stresses the need for traceability from ‘field to fork' of our foodstuffs; promotes food that is GM-free, locally-produced and organic – or at least as free of pesticides and additives as possible. We also favour a Department of Consumer Affairs to watch over the quality of our food.

Problems of Child Obesity and Junk Food

Obesity is now seen as a health problem of ‘enormous proportions' (Irish Health Promotion Unit) and involves long term health risks in terms of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Junk food (high in calories, low in nutrition) is a major contributing factor to obesity. ‘Food poverty' is an issue here and must be tackled with proper social welfare allowances. A recent INTO/Irish Times survey (February 2005) found that one in three primary school children from schools officially designated as ‘disadvantaged' eats fast food at least once a day compared to one in twenty attending non-disadvantaged schools.

The Green Party will:

• Ensure that a greater number of community dieticians are brought into the primary care system;
• Launch a public health awareness campaign on childhood nutrition, emphasising parental involvement;
• Introduce legislation that prohibits the advertising, marketing and promotion of ‘junk' foods to children under 12 years of age; place a tax on junk food as proposed by the Irish Heart Foundation and use the revenue to give schoolchildren free fruit; investigate how to extend nutrition and ingredient information labelling to fast food, take-away and delicatessen food; and ban the display of visual advertisements for junk food in schools and the distribution of free samples of junk food on school property;
• Require schools to assess the ‘eating environment' within their own schools and to formulate action plans for developing healthy eating patterns. Schools should ban all junk food and provide a hot nutritious lunch daily.

B.2 Healthy Exercise [See also Objective Three: Enhancing the physical environment]

Proper exercise is essential for the physical and mental development of the growing child. However, opportunities for play and exercise are diminishing, both in and out of school. Children are no longer walking or cycling to school but being driven. A Health Service Executive Survey (March 2005) concluded that 40% of primary schools in Cork and Kerry have an official policy of ‘no running' in the school yard and that 88% of these schools had only one PE session a week.) Television and computer games have also shifted recreational habits to the detriment of outdoor physical exercise.

The Green Party will:

• Institute a national audit of sports facilities;
• Implement the National Taskforce on Obesity's recommendation that all schools meet a minimum requirement of two hours of PE per week, delivered by appropriately qualified and staff, and that every child should achieve a minimum of 30 minutes dedicated physical activity every day in all educational settings;
• Re-introduce physical education and sports grants, the removal of which has forced schools to fundraise for vital equipment;
• Amend the Planning and Development Act 2000 to ensure mandatory provision of open spaces, playgrounds and recreational facilities in all new residential developments over a certain size. Healthy transport options should also be tied into planning decisions;
• Initiate an audit of local authorities' performance in implementing ‘Safe Routes to School' schemes. Local authorities that have not yet implemented such schemes will be given a timeframe within which to do so.

B.3 Healthy Non-Addictive Lifestyles

The problems of smoking and drug and alcohol abuse are prevalent in Ireland and are a growing issue with our young people. Ireland has the highest rate of ‘youth binge drinking' in Europe. Ireland's drink culture bears a major responsibility for young drinking rates, as does the State's failure to properly resource youth sporting and social facilities. More and better facilities for dealing with young people's social and emotional problems (as proposed in the Mental Health section above) will go some way to alleviating addictive behaviour. But this is a complex issue, ranging from disadvantage, stress, peer and advertising pressure to lack of understanding of the full harm of tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse. As stated at the outset, this entire Green Party Children's Policy is dealing with the ‘well-being' of children and other sections will also address reasons for addictive behaviour. It is the aim of this policy to promote societal changes which will provide our young people with a sense of well-being and will remove the ‘necessity' for them to seek that ‘well-being' from drugs.

The Office of Tobacco Control has calculated that 20% of 15 to 18 year olds smoke. The Health Promotion Unit states that 80% of all smokers become addicted at 16 years of age, and that 50% of today's young smokers will die prematurely from smoking related illness. Thankfully, with the introduction of the smoking ban there are indications that society's tolerance of cigarette smoking is waning. A combination of the ban, anti-smoking advertising campaigns, and the high cost of cigarettes may begin to make some inroads into teenage smoking.

However, the use of illegal drugs and alcohol continues to rise in all sectors of Irish society.

The Green Party will:

• Implement the recommendations of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol;
• In particular, re-introduce the Alcohol Products Bill, recommended by the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol but withdrawn by the Government, which will curtail alcohol advertising, sponsorship, sales promotion and marketing, and placed health warnings on advertisements and products;
• Increase funding and supports to youth sporting and social facilities;
• Ringfence revenue received from alcohol sales and direct these funds into linked policy areas, both in the area of drugs and alcohol;

• Target drug prevention programmes specifically at "at risk" groups;
• Promote the involvement of self-help organisations, outreach projects, and local community work in combating drug addiction.

Objective Two: Childcare: A Commitment to Family and Community Support

Introduction
The Green Party believes that childcare is about caring for children as individuals whose rights must be respected. The Green Party's policy on childcare is about children. It is about providing good quality care and choice. This policy also seeks to ensure a consistently high standard of care at a price that families can afford, where they need it. It is only by focusing on children's needs and meeting them that we can safeguard our future economic welfare.

Our policy responds to children's needs for nurturing, play, education and respect. We
envisage crèche, child-minding and preschool facilities in locations most appropriate to the needs of the child. To ensure the coordination of childcare services the Green Party will place the care of children under the remit of a new Government Department, dedicated to providing for the needs of children and young people.

Parents and guardians are best placed to judge the kind of care that is most appropriate for their children. That is why we will provide resources directly to parents to help them make the best choice for their children.

A. Supporting affordable, community based childcare centres

The Green Party will increase the State's role in providing childcare in community-based centres. These Centres are best placed close to home in locations that are adjacent to parks or open spaces that will be accessible to children in the course of the day. These would ultimately become Children's Centres, offering a high quality range of services to parents and carers, including crèche, pre-school, after-school and out-of-school care, parent and toddler groups, parenting courses, adult education and medical clinics.

Currently, community childcare providers are faced with too much administration to access what is often very restricted, ad hoc funding. Financial support for such providers should be increased and its administration streamlined. Current decision-making processes for grant applications need to be re-evaluated due to long delays encountered at local level.

The Green Party would strengthen the role of the 33 City and County Childcare Committees giving them the authority to decide upon and administer funding allocations with a view to permitting quicker decisions on applications. This would also allow greater scope for local assessment of needs and direct intervention for provision.

B. Giving Parents Choice

At the core of the Green Party's policy on childcare is the commitment that each family will receive a Direct Parenting Allowance in the form of a refundable tax credit. This will help parents who want to take the option of staying at home for the early years of their child's life. In the medium term the Green Party will work towards combining this new Refundable Parenting Tax Credit with existing Child Benefit and other forms of family support payments, such as the Family Income Supplement, to help bring about a wage-type payment for stay-at-home parents.

In addition, the Green Party recognises the particular importance of helping both parents to be with their children during the first year of their lives. To facilitate this, we will increase the period of Maternity Benefit, and provide for Parental Benefit and mandatory Paternal Benefit on a 'use it or lose it' basis.

C. Quality of care

The existing Childcare Regulations will be revised to include a training requirement for all those employed to work with young children (FETAC Level 5 minimum), curriculum development to promote each child achieving their full potential, access to outdoor play and the establish a childcare inspectorate under the responsibility of a Department of Youth and Children. We will implement the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and ensure continued funding for the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education. In addition we will ensure that the EarlyLearning Framework, once finalised is widely available and promoted.

D. Recognising Childminders

Eighty per cent of children in full time day care are cared for by childminders. This form of paid childcare is flexible, and represents good value for families and the taxpayer.

The work of childminders is largely unregulated by the State, as they are only obliged to notify the local Health Services Executive if they are minding four or more children under the age of six. We want all childminders to be registered, to have greater training and support opportunities and to be entitled to a tax-free allowance per child minded. Extended family members acting as childminders will also be entitled to this tax-free allowance. Training will be provided for all childminders.

E. Delivering pre-school education

Most children benefit from at least one year of pre-school education after the age of three. This is particularly the case for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for the increasing numbers of children who have few places to play in their communities.

Research shows that children who have access to high quality pre school services are more likely to benefit from the education system generally. Evidence from the High/Scope Perry Pre school project (USA) shows that for every 1 US dollar invested in quality pre school education there is a saving of 17 dollars as these children are more likely to become contributing members of society rather than ‘burdens' of the state.

The Green Party will make one year's free preschool education, in the year before the child starts school, a right for all children. There is a need to ensure that education and care are intrinsically linked in high quality preschool programmes. The Green Party therefore favours a holistic approach whereby all perspectives – parents, educators and childcare providers are taken into account in designing the content of a preschool curriculum. It would be our preference to see preschool facilities introduced as far as possible through existing providers in order to integrate preschool education into the broader childcare infrastructure.

In Government the Green Party will implement the following measures to give parents choice in childcare:

• Replace the Early Childcare Supplement with a Refundable Parenting Tax Credit - €150 per month/€1800 per year per child from birth until the child enters pre-school and €100/€1200 per year from when the child is in pre-school until the age of 12. As a refundable tax credit, it would be available as a cash payment if the parent were not in paid employment;
• Increase Paternity Benefit to 2 weeks with a statutory right to 6 months Parental Benefit (in addition to Maternity Benefit) to be taken in the child's first year, and to be available to either parent;
• Make Child Benefit universal and index-link to maintain value of increases;
• Initiate free and universal pre-school education of 3.5 hours, five days a week for all children in the year before they go to school;
• Fully reinstate, as an interim measure, the Crèche Supplement and VTOS childcare supports, as these cutbacks have caused severe hardship to parents and children in disadvantaged communities;
• Replace the Childcare Programme 2006-2010 with a capital, staffing and quality control grant programme that is solely aimed at supporting community-based childcare providers and childminders and the development of additional preschool facilities;
• Establish a fully resourced Childcare Inspectorate.

Particular attention would be given to the following reforms:

• Get rid of restrictions encountered by service providers when applying for grant assistance for part-time services and drop-in facilities;
• Allocate specific grant assistance for administrative costs;
• Fast-track grant allocations for RAPID and CLÁR regions;
• Strengthen the role of the city and county childcare committees;
• Recognise care-work as a job so that carers can build up a social insurance record in order to qualify for a full contributory pension;
• Allocate a tax-free allowance of €5000 per child per registered childminder for up to three children;
• Ensure that enhanced quality control, access to training and grant support will be delivered by the new city and county committees and a more comprehensive system of childminders advisory officers;
• Give the responsibility for the entire childcare sector to a new Department of Youth and Children;
• Create a central fund for all childcare provision subsidies to facilitate service providers. This would involve amalgamating current funding, including funding from the Health Service Executive, EOCP, FÁS, dormant accounts and the young people's facilities and services fund;
• Give greater support to organisations and schemes such as the Community Mothers schemes, the La Leche League and IPPA, the Early Childhood Organisation that give vital support to families in the early years of children's lives.

These are provisional annual costings for our proposals

Refundable Parenting Tax Credit	€135m
Increase Maternity Benefit to 26 weeks	€9m
Six months Parental Leave	€199m
Two weeks Paternity Leave	€15m
Child Benefit	€84m
Reformed Childcare programme	€313m
Pre-School Provision	€348m
Crèche Supplement VTOS support	€10m
Increased Finance for Supporting Organisations	€7m
Total	€1,120m

Objective Three: Enhancing the Physical Environment

Children should be free to explore the world outside their front gate. Their built and natural environment should be safe and an asset to their development and growth. This involves such issues as planning, transport and air quality, and designing for communities and healthy living.

A. Planning:

Our planning guidelines must prioritise promoting residential environments for children. This requires:

• More public consultation -- including with children --when planning communities;
• Housing layouts and traffic management that are ‘child proofed' to incorporate sufficient free space to play, socialise, and safely walk and cycle;
• Family–friendly communities, with housing located near transport, services, employment, recreational facilities, community centres and nature spaces;
• Consideration of child-friendly city projects elsewhere;[1]
• Ecological construction methods.

B. Housing and ‘Safe Areas':

B.1 Provision and Quality of Housing:

Poor quality housing damages health. In Ireland, between 1991 and 2002, the numbers of children living in poor housing conditions doubled to 50,000.

• National Children's Strategy must include housing as a ‘basic need'.
• Provision of accommodation must be accelerated. Social housing units will be provided at the rate of 10,000 units a year until the housing lists have cleared;
• A dedicated fund for regular maintenance will be established for Local Authority housing;
• Minimum standards set for the private rented sector will be raised and enforcement of those standards increased significantly.
• A Housing Authority [2] will be established, under the Department of the Environment, to influence the development of national housing policy, set standards for quality and energy efficiency, ensure the provision of sufficient infrastructure 3 and the implementation of EU environmental assessments.

B.2. 'Safe Areas':

We should be able to live in our communities, free of fear and harassment. Planning design decisions are one element of contributing to ‘zones of safety' for children and young people: [see below ‘Transport', ‘Play and Recreation']Aspects of urban planning and environmental design which lessen opportunities for crime and increase ‘zones of safety' will be incorporated in local authority projects and in planning permissions for all proposed construction projects.

C. Environment and Health

Children must not be seen as ‘small adults': they are more vulnerable to the effects of a bad environment and pay a higher price for unsustainable development.

Environmental pollution is a major cause and/or contributing factor to a variety of childhood illnesses.4 80% of asthma cases are related to allergies, and 20% of the Irish population suffers from asthma and other allergic diseases caused by substances typically present in indoor environments. Our environments must promote, not harm, our health. Ensuring that our children are being educated within healthy school buildings is part of that process as is our transport system.

C.1 Designing healthy schools

Our children spend a large proportion of their lives within school buildings. Many Irish schools lack basic amenities of proper toilets, roofs, heating and recreational space and are housed in sub-standard, overcrowded buildings.

The Green Party will ensure that a proper school building and maintenance programme is established and progressed.

Our schools must provide a healthy non-toxic physical environment. Dozens of chemicals are to be found in carpeting, vinyl floors, and cleaners. The Green Party will ensure that the precautionary principle is exercised within – and outside -- our school buildings. This would involve the Departments of Health, Education and Environment, with the EPA, drawing up guidelines for schools in terms of building materials, and designing for – and maintaining -- cleaner environments.

The Green Party fully supports the international environmental education programme, ‘Green Schools', run by An Taisce in cooperation with the Local Authorities.

C.2 Transport

Planning decisions in relation to transport and mobility have a major impact on our environment, health, and well-being. Physical inactivity exacts an enormous public health toll and the current obesity in our children is partly due to car dependency: half of all primary children in Ireland are now driven to school. 80% of Ireland's transport spending is directed at roads to the detriment of public transport and well designed cycling lanes and pedestrian walkways.

All children should be able to walk or cycle to school. This provides valuable exercise and social interaction. Yet often towns and cities seem to have been designed without any regard for children and young people. Communities should be designed to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic calming, safe home-zones (e.g. speed limits 30 km per hour in town zones and home zone areas) and safe routes to school must be integral to all planning. ‘Health impact assessments' should be a basic element of such planning.

School Journeys: Planning decisions must ensure that schools are located near housing. School car runs fuel the obesity epidemic, contribute to air pollution and increase the risk of car accidents. Particulate matter released into the atmosphere from vehicles is harmful to the respiratory and cardiac system and increases cancer risks.

• Students having to undertake longer school journeys should be encouraged to cycle where possible or be subsidised to use public transport.
• Cycle routes should be planned in consultation with local school authorities, and cyclists provided with school facilities (overnight book storage, secure lock-up areas for bikes);
• School buses should as an interim measure be powered by low-sulphur diesel fuel in conjunction with particulate traps to reduce particle emissions and a programme set in place to convert the entire school bus fleet to clean fuels (e.g. biofuels;) 6
• All school buses should have seat belts for each passenger;
• ‘Safer Routes to School' initiatives should be instituted throughout the country.

D. Play and Recreation

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 31: "the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts".

Play and recreation are important ingredients in the development of both young children and adolescents. Some physical spaces are specifically allocated for these activities but more often than not it's the path or laneway nearby, or the street in a cul-de-sac that serve as the play area. For that reason, planning decisions for communities must acknowledge and incorporate the role that footpath networks, cul de sac layouts, public and green space, street furniture, natural habitats and landscape design play in improving the living/recreational environment.

It is also imperative that our children not be isolated from nature and that the ‘child in nature' does not become an ‘endangered species'. Children must be given the opportunity to be in the natural world of woods, fields, riverbanks, and parks.

D.1. Playgrounds and Recreational Facilities

There is a need for urgent progress in this area. The Green Party will ensure that:

• An audit is done of all current recreational facilities with a view to providing, as a priority, new facilities in the most needy areas;
• Play areas and facilities are suitable for all ages from toddler to teenager, all genders, and fully inclusive and accessible;
• The Planning and Development Act 2000 is amended requiring the mandatory provision of open spaces, playgrounds and recreational facilities in all new residential developments over a certain size;
• The provision of safe play areas in schools and in hospital and other health settings is facilitated.

OBJECTIVE FOUR: Tackling Social Disadvantage

Introduction: Children and Poverty

Ireland is now one of the richest countries in the industrialised world. Ironically, it is also one of the most unequal. We have a growing rich-poor gap and high levels of child poverty. Nearly one in seven (148,000) Irish children live in ‘consistent' poverty, deprived of the basics such as two pairs of strong shoes, a warm waterproof coat, a substantial meal or proper heating. Many other children are deemed to be ‘at risk' of poverty.[3] The damaging effects of such disadvantage on a child's health, chances of completing education and future opportunities are obvious.

The Government has it in its power to alleviate many of the contributing factors to child poverty. Combat Poverty (June 05) has highlighted that Ireland ranks among the lowest of European countries in State support for family services such as childcare, early education and health. One of the clearest predictors of a country's rate of child poverty is the % of GDP spent on public social expenditure. Net childcare costs in Ireland are the highest in Europe. Healthcare costs are the second highest.

There are policy changes required across a wide area, including income supports and social protection, improvements in housing quality and provision, greater access to education, and improvements in the juvenile justice system.

A. Family Income

The Green Party endorses the analysis of the Children's Rights Alliance [4] on how best to boost the ‘life chances' of poor children. Four intermediate policy objectives include increasing parental employment and earnings, supporting parenting, acknowledging particular needs in single-parent households, and ensuring adequate income support for ‘work poor' households.

The Green Party's Childcare policy, Objective Two, outlines our proposals for childcare support. In addition, the Green Party will:

• Raise personal social welfare rates and increase the qualified adult allowance to 75% of the full rate; [Children living in one-parent families are much more likely to be living in poverty. [5] The One Parent Family Payment is insufficient and must be substantially increased.]
• Increase the income limit for retention of secondary benefits;
• Increase the Direct Provision adult and child rate.
• Support NESC's recommendation that Family Income Supplement, rather than having to be applied for, be given automatically to qualifying households and be linked with the Child Dependent Allowance payment [Less than one in three families who are entitled to FIS are receiving it].
• Introduce a part-time unemployment payment for parents with children under 12 to assist parents (primarily women) who want to enter the work force.[6]

B. Housing provision

Housing doesn't feature as a major policy concern in the Government's National Children's Strategy. It is mentioned under a section called ‘additional needs': ‘Children will have access to accommodation appropriate to their needs'. This wording has been heavily criticised not only for its imprecision, but also for its failure to regard housing as even a fundamental ‘need' never mind a ‘right'. [7]

Access to housing and the quality of housing are major issues affecting children's well-being. Local Authority waiting lists for social housing are at least 48,000 households, with some estimates up to 25% higher. Current completion rates for social housing, including voluntary coops and local authority output, are less than 6000 units. Because of the lack of housing provision, many of those on low incomes who would have been allocated local authority housing in the past are being forced into the private rental sector, often at rents they can't afford. [8] Apart from affordability, nearly a third of private rented accommodation inspected by local councils during 2004 revealed substandard conditions.

Homelessness also continues to be a problem despite Ireland's wealth, and the Simon Community has estimated a 250% increase in the 15 years since 1989. Focus estimates that over 1100 children are homeless with their families in Dublin, and that over half of these children are aged five years or less.[9] 89% of homeless families with children in Dublin were in Bed and Breakfast emergency accommodation. Local Authorities are also failing in their duties to provide suitable Traveller accommodation.

The Green Party will:

• Implement the NESC recommendations for the building and acquisition of an additional 73,000 houses for people in need between 2007 and 2012. This would involve almost doubling existing social housing output to over 10,000 per year.
• Ensure private rented sector dwellings are updated, with a certification process requiring landlords to verify with the PRTB (Private Rented Tenancy Board) that dwellings meet defined standards.
• Encourage local authorities to establish sinking funds for their dwellings to fund ongoing and future maintenance.
• Restore the original provisions of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to ensure that social and affordable housing is provided as an integral part of any new housing development, and allow for money payments in lieu of the transfer of land or property by developers only under strict conditions of promoting sustainable development.
• Target tax incentives on not-for profit housing and cost rental with a wide remit to provide for all income groups. Such an approach will lower rents in the private sector as well as de-emphasising difference and avoid dangers of ‘ghettoising' social disadvantage.
• Ensure that planning guidelines for new apartments in urban settings incorporate consideration of suitability for family living
• Considerably increase rent reliefs,
• Phase out the practice of placing homeless people in Bed and Breakfast accommodation.
• Initiative a national programme to combat fuel poverty. We will immediately double the fuel allowance and concentrate on energy efficiency standards and incentives.
• Establish an independent Traveller Accommodation Agency to ensure full provision of properly resourced halting sites.

C. Health Provision [See Objective One: Promoting Well-Being]

As stated in Objective One, primary health care is the main focus of the Green party's health policy and a major way forward to ensure the health of our children, particularly the most vulnerable. If properly funded, primary health care could meet 90% of health needs in the community. The Green Party will also extend the medical card to all children under 18 years of age.

A Green Party policy linking health with education would be the provision of nutritious hot school meals. This is already happening in a limited number of disadvantaged schools. St. Vincent de Paul and others have called for an enhanced School Food Programme, given to an agency under the Health Services Executive which would extend the programme.

D. Education (See also Objective Two)

Where there is poverty there is educational disadvantage. One in seven Irish children leaves primary school with literacy problems. Almost a third of primary schools in disadvantaged areas suffer from severe literacy problems (Education Research Centre, St. Patrick's College. September 2004) There are strong links between reading skills and school attendance. Official figures show that 1,000 children fail to make the transition from primary to secondary school and almost a fifth of children leave school before completing their Leaving Cert. Yet the 2005 Forfas Annual Competitiveness Report shows that, at all levels of education, Irish spending per student is below the OECD average. Many of our school buildings are substandard and over 100,000 primary school children are being in taught in classes of 30 or more. Our ‘free' education system is far from free, with many parents struggling to keep their children in ‘back to school' clothing and to buy the necessary schoolbooks.

The Green Party will:

• Fund a free and universal year of pre-school education;
• Promote the re-instatement of the right to free education, a right that was dropped in the 1937 Constitution;
• Increase the back to school clothing and footwear payments and ensure that all eligible families are facilitated in sourcing these payments. We would support Barnardos recommendation that these allowances be automatically extended to all families in receipt of Family Income Supplement;
• Provide a once off grant for one-parent families when the child transfers to secondary school;
• Provide free books for pupils in families on social welfare payments or FIS income eligibility levels. In the long term, we would implement a programme similar to that in public school system in the United States where schools provide books free to students. The students then return the books to the school at the end of the school-year for reuse;
• Adequately support projects like the Bridge Project in Kilbarrack which are aimed at assisting primary children having learning or other difficulties to transfer to secondary level;
• Boost the number of Education Welfare Officers and increase resources to the National Education Welfare Board to enable it to adequately and positively engage with children, parents and teachers on the issue of absenteeism;
• Promote initiatives such as those outlined in Barnardos ‘Valuing Childhood – Cherishing Children' document, which will target the nation's most vulnerable children, assist them with early intervention and closely monitor their educational, emotional and social development needs.
• Reduce class sizes at primary level to a maximum of 25 over the term of investment;
• Adequately resource school completion and the Stay in School Retention Initiative. We will provide education and training supports to parents who have had to leave school early and provide ‘stay in school payments' for young parents, as promoted by One Family (Cherish).

E. Juvenile Justice

The Green Party proposals under this Section dealing with disadvantage are focused on improving the life chances of our young people. There is also a need to identify and support local initiatives to reform and renew our communities, thus helping to address social exclusion and community breakdown.

Tackling anti-social or criminal behaviour by juveniles doesn't lie in ASBOs or in ignoring the complex issues giving rise to such behaviour: boredom, a lack of appropriate recreational space, drugs, alcohol, dysfunctional family backgrounds and a sense of isolation from society.

The children appearing before the Children's Court are overwhelming young males from backgrounds of disadvantage and poverty. The parent or guardian, who is obliged to attend the court with the child, doesn't do so in a third of cases and father figures are usually absent. Many children present with mental health issues, behavioural problems, substance and alcohol abuse.

The complexities of these problems are rarely adequately addressed by the Courts. The Green Party notes the establishment of a new Youth Justice Service to operate within the new strategic environment of the Office of the Minister for Children. This new service will only have a real impact if there is a strong emphasis on education and rehabilitation.

The Green Party will:

• Fully implement the provisions of the Children's Act 2001, which provides a wide range of measures to counter anti-social and criminal behaviour; Part 9 of the Act provides for Parental Supervision Orders (PSO's), which can require parents to undergo treatment for drug abuse;
• Ensure that the age of criminal responsibility remains at 12 years of age;
• Give additional resources to the Juvenile Liaison Scheme and the Garda Diversion Programme;
• Provide more community Gardaí and ensure that Gardaí are properly trained for dealing with children in marginalized communities;
• Support and expand programmes such as the ISPCC Schoolmate Drug and Alcohol pilot prevention programme, which provides a direct-access support service to vulnerable young people at risk of early school leaving, due to drug and substance misuse, and addresses the devastating impact that multigenerational drug and alcohol abuse can have on children and families;
• Invest in proper facilities for disadvantaged areas, as was promised under the RAPID Programme.

OBJECTIVE FIVE: Embracing Diversity

Introduction

IreIand has become a multicultural society in a relatively short space of time. With over 170 nationalities now living and working side by side in this country it is vital that we take action to ensure that every child, irrespective of their background, feels valued and respected.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by all but two countries (USA and Somalia) in the international community and as such can be viewed as most influential instrument for the recognition and protection of children's human rights. Article 2 of the Convention refers to non-discrimination, stating that "no child should be injured, privileged or punished by, or deprived of, any right on the grounds of his or her race, colour or gender; on the basis of his or her language or religion, or national, social or ethnic origin; on the grounds of any political or other opinion; on the basis of caste, property or birth status; or on the basis of a disability."

The Green Party is fully committed to ensuring that children of all backgrounds have equal access to the resources and services that will allow him/her to realise his/her full potential in life.

A. Embracing Diversity in Education:

The ‘Éist' Project:

The Pavee Point ‘Éist' project has carried out pioneering work for mainstreaming equality and diversity training in the early childhood education sector. The anti-bias training approach has been promoted, developed and tested across the sector at pre-service, in-service and at supervisory level. The training has shown that the approach is a vehicle through which to promote anti-discriminatory practice and respond appropriately and inclusively to the needs of all young children.

In Government the Green Party would provide for the rollout of this programme on a nationwide basis. This training would also be piloted for primary and post primary levels.

B. Embracing the needs of children with disabilities:

Current Legislation: The Disability Act 2005 & Comhairle (Amendment) Act 2004 provide the legislative basis for the rights of people with disabilities in Ireland. The National Children's Strategy sets out the objective that ‘children with a disability will be entitled to the services they need to achieve their full potential'. The Green Party believes that this objective can only be achieved through a rights based approach to service provision. In Government the Green Party will repeal the Disability Act 2005 to ensure ‘rights-based' access to services.

C. Children and the Immigration System

C.1 Embracing the needs of separated children seeking asylum

Children who arrive in Ireland seeking asylum without their parents/guardians are extremely vulnerable and the asylum application process currently does not recognise their special needs. At the moment these children are treated as adults, the entire process is adult-oriented and adversarial to the needs of children.

In June 2005, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has called for child-sensitive assessment of all protection needs, taking into account persecution of a child-specific nature. In addition, the Committee has stated that minors should benefit from complementary protection, to the extent determined by their unique protection needs.

The Green Party will put in place measures to ensure that children seeking asylum are taken out of the adult application process.

C.2 Aged-Out Minors

‘Aged-Out Minors' refers to those who arrived in Ireland as separated children seeking asylum, and who now are between 18 and 21 years of age. At present they are living in limbo, awaiting decision from the Department of Justice as to whether they will be allowed to stay in Ireland. All applied for asylum here due to a well-founded fear of persecution in their birth countries, yet all now live in the daily fear of deportation. It has to be questioned whether a system which forces many to go 'underground' as a result of such fear can truly be said to do justice. The Green Party will continue to work with the PLUS (Please Let Us Stay) Appeal to ensure that these young individuals are granted leave to remain so that they can continue to build happy and stable lives for themselves, free of the constant fear of deportation.

C.3 Children of Migrant Workers

Migrant workers in Ireland who are employed under the employment permits scheme cannot bring their immediate family members to join them here. This would appear to be in direct contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights where the right to a family life is enshrined Section 1, Art 12. The Green Party will legislate to allow for a worker who has secured an employment permit to be reunited with his/her family within three months of arrival here.

D. Embracing Diversity at Play

Recognising diversity is not only important in the classroom, but also in the broader life of the child. The Green Party will ensure that public playgrounds are planned following a consultation process between the local authority and children of the area in question, and should be both disability-friendly, and where appropriate, should recognise cultural difference.

E. Raising Awareness of Diversity

The Green Party will launch a Young People's Forum, which will provide an opportunity for children and young people to discuss their experiences of multi-cultural Ireland and input into future policy in this area.

21st March is United Nations International Day Against Racism. This day should be used to celebrate our multicultural society and to highlight opposition to racism in this country. To this end, the Green Party will produce information packs for use in both national and secondary schools around the country which will be prepared in conjunction with the Green Party's Young People's Forum.

The Green Party sees the National Children's Office as playing a key role in raising the issue of diversity at national level and campaigning for the needs of children who may not have, at this particular time, a strong voice in our society.

The Green Party will:

• Ensure that children of all backgrounds have equal access to the resources and services that will allow him/her to realise his/her full potential in life;
• Provide for the rollout of the Éist programme on a nationwide basis;
• Take appropriate action to ensure that children seeking asylum are taken out of the adult application process as called for by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child;
• Ensure that leave to remain is granted to ‘aged-out' minors without delay in order that those individuals can continue with their lives free of the fear of deportation;
• Legislate to allow for a worker who has secured an employment permit to be reunited with his/her family within three months of arrival in Ireland;
• Amend the Disability Act 2005 to assure ‘rights-based' access to services;
• Ensure that all public playgrounds are built in consultation with local children and are disability-friendly in all cases;
• Establish a Young People's Forum to provide an environment in which discussion can take place on issues of diversity, multiculturalism and other matters;
• Use International Day Against Racism (21st March) as a day to celebrate our multicultural society and highlight opposition to racism in schools around the country.

OBJECTIVE SIX: Listening to Children and Young People

Introduction

The environment of the child is very broad, encompassing family, home, neighbourhood, community, school and beyond. If their environment is to reflect their needs, then giving children and young people a say in how it evolves is essential. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Ireland in 1992, "In all actions concerning children…. the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration" (article 3.1).

The National Children's Strategy stipulates:

"Children will have a voice in matters which affect them and their views will be given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity".

Although children and young people in Ireland are participating in decisions that affect them more and more, the issue of children and participation is still only in its infancy.

Being taken seriously is important to children and young people. By listening to their views and acting on what they say, adults can ensure children and young people feel respected and cherished. Through participation they develop a sense of the responsibilities, which go hand and hand with having rights.

At a UN meeting of National Children's Rights Institutions (2002), a delegate explained how in her country a series of consultation workshops with children unearthed the problem of sexual abuse, an issue which had not previously been recognised by adults. This issue was subsequently addressed by the Human Rights Commission. Clearly, adults are not always aware of the problems faced by children.

In recognition of the value of hearing the voice of the child, The Green Party will implement number of initiatives designed to foster a culture of listening to children and young people in Ireland.

This includes setting up structures for participation and further resourcing the structures that currently exist. The Green Party will amend the Constitution to include specific rights for children, and the Education Act 1998 to make student councils at Primary and Secondary level mandatory. The Green Party will set up an Independent Guardian ad litem service on a statutory basis. The Green Party will develop education modules from Primary level up to ensure children understand how to address issues which effect them. The Green Party will make resources available for ongoing awareness raising campaigns regarding the importance of giving children and young people a voice. In recognition of the role of parents and guardians, The Green Party will develop measures to support them in hearing the voice of children. As a political party The Green Party will develop a representative forum of children and young people who will advise them on relevant policy matters.

The Green Party will:

• Launch a Young People's Forum to ensure the needs of children are adequately represented;
• Amend the Constitution to include specific rights of children and implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child into Irish legislation;
• Amend legislation allowing persons of 16 years of age to vote;
• Upgrade the National Children's Office to ensure more inter-departmental communication on matters affecting children;
• Work with the partners in education to create a module on democratic participation for both primary and secondary school students;
• Work to give a voice to children in family court cases or where the child is the defendant. In custody cases children should have the right to express their views. Where the child is the defendant, Children's Liaison Officers will be made available;
• Broaden the parameters of the Office for Ombudsman for Children. The Green Party will give the Ombudsman for Children powers in regard to legislative matters and to take the initiative in relation to advocacy on behalf of children;
• Work towards the provision of training for health care providers to ensure effective communication with children and young people;
• Support parents and guardians to listen to and act on what children say. Parenting courses which look at the importance of listening to children and how to advocate for children will be made available;
• Take steps to ensure that children in care are given a voice in matters which affect them;
• Fund national campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of listening to children and respecting their views;
• Produce a guide to child-proofing key documents which affect children and young people

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[3] [EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (2003): (published January 2005) and 2005 Human Development Report, which states Ireland has the third highest poverty of 18 industrialised and that the richest 10% have nearly 10x the lowest 10%.]

[4] Children's Rights Alliance (Ending Child Poverty in Rich Countries: What Works): (2002)

[5] (EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions, early 2005) 33 % of one-parent families live in consistent poverty; compared to 9 % of the general population. 42 per cent of one-parent live at risk of poverty (23 % of the general population). One-parent families scored highest on eight indicators of deprivation.

[6] The INOU has highlighted that such people are categorised as ‘economically inactive' and are therefore ineligible for an unemployment payment because they fail to meet ‘genuinely seeking work' criteria which focuses only on full time work.

[7] Brooke, Simon, ‘Housing Problems and Irish Children', Trinity College Dublin, 2005

[8] According to the 2002 Local Authority Assessments of Social Housing Needs, 44% of households on local authority waiting lists were not able to meet the cost of their existing accommodation. The 2002 Irish National Survey of Housing Quality found that over a quarter (28%) of people living in private rented accommodation were spending more than one-third of their income on rent.

[9] Merchants Quay cite a study done in 2000 by Focus, the Mater Hospital and the Northern Area Health Board Dublin, which found that homeless, children: 1) present more often with acute and chronic illness such as respiratory and gastro intestinal problems, hearing problems and skin conditions; 2) often suffer accidental injuries and burns; 3) are more likely to use the A+E GP and hospital services than housed populations; 4) experience higher rates of development delay, and behavioural and emotional problems than that of housed populations. This includes deficits in reading and language abilities, hyperactivity, aggression, depression and anxiety.