The Children's Rights Alliance has asked the Taoiseach to stop the development of a new children's prison in St Patrick's Institution and put the resources into appropriate special care units instead.
This is one of five proposals made by its chief executive, Mr Raymond Dooley, in a letter asking Mr Ahern to put children first on the new government's agenda.
The others are: the appointment of an ombudsman for children in an open and transparent manner; the establishment of an expert group to examine the incidence of child deaths; ensuring that the views of children be heard in relation to policies affecting them; and the incorporation into Irish law of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Mr Dooley acknowledges that the last Government passed the necessary legislation establishing the office of an ombudsman for children. To ensure that children will have a strong, independent ally, he urges that the position be advertised and that the selection process involve children and those working in the NGO sector.
He points out that in the past two years there have been at least 21 instances of fatal child abuse in Ireland. A child death review committee should be set up to examine the circumstances surrounding these deaths and to recommend policies and practices that would help prevent such tragedies.
Mr Dooley also points out that according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Ireland is a signatory, children have a right to have their views heard on matters affecting them.
He acknowledges that this goal is referred to in the National Children's Strategy, but asks that all members of the Cabinet and senior Government officials hear and understand the views of children before adopting any public policies affecting them.
Other provisions in the UN Convention should be incorporated into Irish law, according to Mr Dooley. Specifically, the All Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution should give the highest priority to the constitutional underpinning of children's rights.
The most controversial suggestion of the CRA is that the Government not go ahead with the proposed opening of St Patrick's Institution for 14- and 15-year-olds. This is "inconsistent with the Children Act 2001, the National Children's Strategy, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and runs contrary to modern principles government juvenile justice policy", according to Mr Dooley.
"It is a mistake to expend substantial public resources on inappropriate and futile training programmes when the same resources could be devoted to hiring professional childcare workers and to opening and adequately staffing facilities for children," he writes.