We’ve liked to think of ourselves as a child-centred country, even if reality has often proved very different.
A legacy of indifference contributed to society ignoring the plight of tens of thousands of poor, illegitimate, abused children who were forced to endure the brutalising experience of industrial schools.
The same legacy was to blame much more recently for a new generation of vulnerable children who slipped through the cracks of the State’s child protection system.
Our laws were insufficient to protect our most vulnerable children, while our services were often too chaotic or poorly organised to be able to protect those most at risk.
A new national policy framework for children and young people, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures , seeks to draw a line in the sand over this past legacy of failure.
Lofty vision
It sets out a lofty vision: of making Ireland the best small country in the world in which to grow up and raise a family, and where the rights of all children and young people are respected, protected and fulfilled; where their voices are heard; and where they are supported to realise their maximum potential.
These are noble sentiments. But is there any chance of them being realised within a few short years?
Governments tend to like strategies and frameworks, because they are warm and aspirational in tone, without the messy reality of having to deliver concrete results.
But there are, for the first time in years, real reasons to be cautiously hopeful. The people voted, albeit in smaller-than-expected numbers, to support a referendum to strengthen children’s rights.
This means children must be treated equally, that the voices of young people must be listened to by authorities and that their best interests must prevail at all times.
We also have a single State agency for child and family services, with a full Cabinet-level Minister for Children.
Ministers have also drafted new laws that will oblige the public and organisations to report abuse of children rather than keep it hidden, as has so often been the case in the past.
Ireland can be a very good place to grow up as a child. If you’re from a loving family, with a decent income, supportive network and a good community, chances are you’ll do very well.
Chaotic family
But if you're less well off, have a disability or emotional needs and come from a chaotic family background plagued by drink, drugs or depression, things can be very different.
Rather than being protected from the worst effects of austerity, many children and their families have felt its full force.
Budget spending cuts have hit young people disproportionately harder through reductions in child benefit and back- to-school allowances. Many young people’s life prospects are likely to be damaged as a result.
For all the economic progress we made until the economic crisis, it’s striking to see how precarious life still is for many young people.
The legacy of debt being handed on to a younger generation threatens their prospects in life.
For vulnerable children, many are still waiting years for vital assessments for services such as speech and language therapy. Youngsters with mental health problems are still being placed in inappropriate adult psychiatric units. The list goes on.
The Taoiseach has spoken about reversing decades of past neglect to ensure the State does everything possible to safeguard “our most precious possession of all, children”.
There’s no doubting his good intentions. And yesterday’s policy framework makes eminent sense. But in the absence of guaranteed funding or hard choices, they are just that – good intentions.
