Archive
Youth Debate
The Junior Ministers, Jeffrey Donaldson and Gerry Kelly, the Speaker of the Assembly and The Children and Young People’s Unit (CYPU) in the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) sponsored a youth debate which took place in the Assembly Chamber, Parliament Buildings on Thursday 23rd October 2008.
Over 108 young people were nominated to take part.
The debate was chaired by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr William Hay MLA. The motion was:
‘This Assembly calls upon the Executive, young people and their representatives to work together in analysing the risk factors and origins of why many young people have been drawn into anti-social behaviour, underage drinking and drug taking, with a view to addressing the underlying causes of such behaviours. This Assembly further calls on the Executive, young people and their representatives to work together to introduce effective measures that raise awareness of the harmful effects of these behaviours on individuals and on society as a whole, with a view to reducing the occurrence of these behaviours’.
This was an exciting opportunity for young people to really get involved in the democratic process and put forward their views on an issue relevant to their lives.
Play Policy
The following text is designed to supplement the main consultation document and to give readers some additional information, particularly in relation to the background to the development of the policy and the specific links with the 10-year Strategy for Children and Young People published in June 2006.
- Drivers for bringing the policy forward at this time
- Commissioner for Children and Young People
- Developments in other parts of the UK and Ireland
- How play will contribute to the aims of the ten-year strategy for children and young people?
- Healthy
- Enjoying, learning and achieving
- Contributing positively to community and society
- Living in safety and with stability
- Experiencing economic and environmental well-being
- Living in a society which respects their rights
- Outcome of the Informal Consultation Process
- Additional Information on the Mapping Section
There were three main drivers: children, their parents and carers and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Children and young people told us that they needed Government to do something to make sure they had decent places to play and that play became a priority issue.
They told us time and time again, in the consultation work we did with them in preparation for the Children and Young People ten- year strategy that they needed affordable, safe and stimulating play and leisure environments. This policy is the first step towards realising that.
In addition to the views of the children and young people a number of adults, including key stakeholders, parents, carers and grandparents all raised the issue of providing suitable places for children and young people to play.
The ten-year strategy for children and young people makes a commitment to respect and progress the rights of children and young people in Northern Ireland and to be guided and informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 31 of the Convention emphasises the child’s right to play. The production of this policy is a demonstration of government delivering on this commitment.
The decision to develop a play policy was also influenced by other developments:
In research carried out by QUB on behalf of the Commissioner’s office, 620 out of 1064 children raised concerns about play and leisure facilities and religious segregation of play facilities. Specific issues were raised for children living in poverty, traveller children, ethnic minority children, children in hospital and children with additional needs. As a result of this research, the Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland, in his Corporate Plan, identified play and leisure as one of his key priorities for action areas.
To view the Terms of Referance for the Review of the Office click here Terms of Reference.
The development of a play policy will also bring Northern Ireland in line with a 4 nations approach and with the Republic of Ireland who are all at various stages of developing play policies. The benefits of play, which we will explore later in more detail, are well-documented and we owe it to our children and young people to provide an environment in which they can grow and achieve.
Play is central to children’s lives and an evidence based policy on play will have a significant impact on positive outcomes for children and young people, which we committed to delivering through the ten-year strategy. These are explored more fully below:
Play is crucial to children’s health and development. There is currently major concern about the physical health of children. Much of this concern focuses around low levels of physical exercise. Children’s play, especially outdoors, offers many opportunities for physical activity
For children to get the maximum developmental and experiential benefit from their play they need to have access to a range of play experiences and opportunities and be involved in different and distinctive types of play.
Play opportunities enhance the mental health of children and young people. Research highlights the importance of children being able to play, take risks and to use their own initiative. It is essential for them to have opportunities to practice making and consolidating friendships and to deal with and resolve conflict – these are the basic skills needed to become “emotionally literate”.
The Fit Futures Fit Futures: DHSSPS published March 2006 task force for Northern Ireland in examining the options for the prevention in the rise in levels of obesity in children and young people highlights the role of play in developing in young children an active and healthy lifestyle and that government departments and agencies have a major role in ensuring opportunities for active play are available and accessible to children. Research indicates that the levels of obesity in children and young people are increasing in Northern Ireland year on year at a huge cost to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. Fit Futures calls for investment in and joined planning for the creation of an environment where children are motivated and supported to access a range of readily available, quality, enjoyable opportunities to be active and eat healthily.
The essence of play is fun, enjoyment and achievement. It is widely accepted that in early childhood most of children’s learning is acquired through play. When playing, children define their own goals and interests, decide what is success and failure and pursue these goals in their own way. Play allows children and young people to explore boundaries, test abilities, use initiative, take risks and make mistakes without fear of failure. Motivation for play, exploration and discovery comes from the child when fully absorbed in play, children feel satisfied with what they have achieved. Play is a child’s work; the playful child is an achieving child.
Play promotes increasing levels of flexibility for children and young people. Advantages associated with children’s play include the development of problem-solving skills, supporting their language development and literacy, developing their social skills, expressing emotions, developing imagination and creative interests and abilities.
The Consultation on the Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation in Northern Ireland, 2006 – 2016 supports the value of play for children in developing physical literacy and promoting lifelong physical activity from a young age.
What can never be lost is that play is about having fun, it needs no other end point and it is important that we work to create spaces, both in rural and urban areas, where children are enjoying themselves and having fun.
Play makes an important contribution to community life. It is a crucial medium for social interaction and for forming, maintaining and negotiating relationships. Children learn from the way others and the environment react to their play, the effects of their actions and value others place on them. Play helps a child develop their skills and knowledge and ensures they are valued as active community members. Children contribute to the community and to society when they are visible, when the environment within which they live maximises all opportunities for play – play is a significant part of children’s contribution to community and society. Facilities used for play are frequently seen as focal points for communities and offer opportunities for real social interaction for children and for the wider community and supports the development of a greater sense of community spirit.
Good play provision and appropriately designed spaces for children creates a positive environment and contributes to the sense of well being and security children have with their surroundings. Children have a greater sense of ownership and belonging and are more likely to be protective of the places that are designed to meet their needs. Research shows that play can make a valuable contribution to reducing children’s behaviour that is socially unacceptable creating a safer and more stable environment for all children and young people.
Where communities and environments are configured to maximise informal contact among neighbours particularly through well developed and appropriate opportunities for play, the streets are safer, children are better taken care of, people are generally happier with their surroundings, and there is increased social participation in local activities and reduced risk of crime, graffiti and violence.
There is now overall agreement on the role of play in the contribution to the development and sustaining the sort of human and social capital needed to support economic and environmental well being. It is more beneficial in terms of social and economic development to take a broad view of the way in which skills are produced in a modern economy and encourage a greater focus on non-institutional and non formal sources of skill formation to produce a variety of skills that are more useful to a modern economy. Scholars refer to a characteristic of skills and ability formation whereby more able people acquire more skills and more skilled people become more able. For more robust economic models, policy and investment needs to focus on those areas that address the ways in which children acquire skills and develop ability, central to this focus is play.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child underpins the right of every child to play. In his first speech, the then Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People emphasised children’s right to play and the government’s responsibility to act,
“Play is every child’s right. Five words that are devastatingly simple but have huge repercussions for government, the education system, local government, voluntary and community agencies and indeed individual families” (Nigel Williams 2003)
The steering group decided to hold a series of workshops to which policy makers, play practioners, opinion makers and all those interested in children and play were invited. The consultation process involved four workshops held in Belfast, Londonderry, Omagh, and Newry, with a fifth workshop held at the ‘Play Works’ Conference facilitated by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in March 2006. A total of 110 people attended workshops: this number was adversely affected by a postal strike which disrupted the issuing of invitations. Children were consulted with on an ongoing basis in their playgroups and after schools facilities.
The consultation workshops, arranged by NIPPA and PlayBoard, identified key themes for consideration within a play policy for Northern Ireland. The thoughts of the participants are listed below in no particular order of importance:
- Risk and Safety in Play – there appears to be a strong link in people’s minds between play, risk and the claims culture. Everyone agrees that children should be encouraged through play to manage risk without fear of failure. However there is a concern of a growing claims culture in Northern Ireland that makes this a difficult concept to consider for many agencies and facilities. This is an area that needs to be addressed. Children need and want to take risks when they play: they need to be able to respond to challenging and stimulating environments in a way that is free from unacceptable risks. Statutory bodies and other providers of play provision need to be free from the fear of litigation or compensation claims.
- Play as a priority – it was generally recognised throughout the consultation process that the importance of children’s play in all its diversity, richness and complexity needs to be articulated in a way that ensures it is addressed as a priority by local and regional government.
- Time and Space for Play – two questions running through the consultation process were; why is there not enough time for play and where is the space for play? Many people acknowledged that there were examples throughout the region where the potential for children’s play is maximised, however there were also genuine concerns expressed by the participants in the consultation process that young children were increasingly finding themselves living in environments that served to block time and space for play. There were a number of concerns expressed including early and intense pressure to achieve; formal and restrictive environments; no access to safe or appropriate outdoor space; limited opportunities for appropriate physical activity; a perception that there is no involvement of children and young people in planning processes; few opportunities to be creative or innovative; no time to be quiet, still and ponderous; and poor understanding of the role of adults in children’s play.
Some quotes from children consulted:- ‘When I get my homework done, it’s time for bed’;
- ‘you can play when you get your work done, if it’s not raining’;
- ‘I would like the man to clean up all the broken glass in the park’;
- ‘my daddy says I’m not allowed to play in the park: that’s where all the druggies live’;
- ‘I play in my garden at home. It has two big gates to keep me safe’.
- A Champion for Play – many participants supported the idea of a lead person (a champion for children’s play) to take forward a policy and strategy for play in Northern Ireland. The value of play reinforced for adults – participants were keen to see better support, information and training for parents, practioners and planners on the value of play and its importance to children. They indicated a need for more funding for training and information, more opportunities for communities to become involved in planning for play and a need to raise overall awareness of the integral role of play in children’s wellbeing, learning and development.
- Promoting the Voice of the Child – participants in the consultation process agreed that it is important to ensure that at all points in the process children are engaged in a meaningful way that both empowers them and helps us respond effectively to their rights and needs.
Please note that to gain maximum information, you will find it useful to read the maps reproduced on pages 14-17 in conjunction with the table in Annex 2.
Play Policy
The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minster (OFMDFM) PlayBoard, NIPPA - The Early Years Organisation and the Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland are working together on the first phase of a project to develop an overall Play Policy for Northern Ireland.
Interim Commissioner
Nigel Williams
Mr Nigel Williams, the first Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland, died on the 28th March 2006 at his home in Glenarm following a two-year battle against illness. Read More
Advertisment for a new Commissioner for Children and Young People
We are currently advertising for a new Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland. Closing date for applications: 2 October 2006. Access the Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland advertisement (PDF 511 KB) (opens in a new window) 
To receive an application pack, please access the Veredus website 
Consultation on a Draft Strategy for Children and Young People
The draft strategy was available for consultation from the 24 November 2004 to 28 February 2005.
- Access the draft strategy document (PDF 2.71MB)
- Access the children and young people's version (PDF 221KB)
- Access a summary of responses to 'Making It R Wrld 2' Consultation on a Draft Strategy for Children and Young People (PDF 130KB)
To enable the Children and Young People’s Unit to take this important area of work forward, a number of temporary bodies were established.
They included:
- an Interdepartmental Steering Group, comprising all eleven Northern Ireland departments, the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Courts Service
- a Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Forum comprising members of organisations who work on children and young people’s issues
- a Young People's Advisory Forum, comprising young people aged 12-18 from all over Northern Ireland
- a Research and Information Panel comprising academics and researchers form voluntary organisations and Health and Social Services Boards.
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Forum was established to contribute to the development of proposals for formal consultation for the Commissioner for Children and the development of a children’s strategy. As a priority the Forum was asked to advise on the appropriate mechanisms for consulting with children and young people.
The membership of the Forum is drawn from the core members of the ‘Putting Children’s First’ campaign as this includes the major children’s organisations and umbrella groups for the smaller children’s organisations across the country. The Forum also includes representatives of the umbrella organisations in relation to disability and ethnic minorities, to ensure that these particular issues are considered with respect to children. It has also been extended by six places to include more representation for race, disability, community health and faith-based groups.
The role of the forum
- represent the views of children and young person ’s organisations throughout Northern Ireland;
- act as a conduit of information both to and from the wider children's sector in Northern Ireland;
- provide advice to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the role and remit of the Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland;
- provide advice to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the components of a 10 year over-arching strategy for children and young people in Northern Ireland including consideration of permanent mechanisms for on going consultation with the children and young people’s sector and with children and young people themselves;
- comment on a confidential basis on any draft proposals produced by the Office of the First Minister and/or Interdepartmental Steering Group in relation to the strategy or Commissioner;
- conduct research/prepare papers at the request of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister/ Interdepartmental Steering Group;
- identify and comment on research which has already been carried out in relation to children and young people in Northern Ireland when requested; and
- advise on appropriate mechanisms for involving children and young people.
The members of the Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) Forum are:
Mrs Maureen Scott Royal College of Nursing Tel: 02890 668236 |
Ms Pauline Leeson Children in Northern Ireland Tel: 02890 401290 |
Jacqueline O'Loughlin Playboard Tel: 02890803380 |
Ms Koulla Yiasouma Include Youth Tel: 02890311007 |
Ms Paddy Kelly Children's Law Centre Tel: 02890245704 |
Ms Lynda Wilson Barnardo's Tel: 02890672366 |
Ms Sheri Chamberlain Save the Children Tel: 02890 620000 |
Ms Heather Knox Homestart Tel: 02890460772 |
Mr Colin Reid NSPCC Tel: 02890355754 |
Mr Kevin Doherty Disability Action Tel: 02890 297880 |
Mr Patrick Yu NICEM Tel: 02890 238645 |
Mr Johnny Parks NI Youth Forum Tel: 02890331990 |
Ms Vivian McConvey VOYPIC Tel: 02890244888 |
Mr Colum Conway NIPPA Tel: 02890662825 |
Ms Pip Jaffa Parents Advice Centre Tel: 02890310891 |
Ms Barbary Cook Community Development & Health Network Tel: 02830264606 |
Brian McKee Youth Link NI Tel: 02890232432 |
Des McCabe NI Inter Faith Forum Tel: 02841754777 |
Denis Palmer Youthnet Tel: 02890331880 |
Children with Disabilities Strategic Alliance Ms Paschal McKeown Tel: 02890691351 |
Ms Margaret Donaghy Multi Cultural Resource Centre Tel: 02890244639 |
The appointment process for the Commissioner for Children and Young People
The Commissioner for Children and Young People for Northern Ireland has the widest range of powers of any Commissioner for Children in the world. The establishment of the Commissioner for Children is one of the most important developments in NI, it represents a significant milestone on the road from conflict to a shared society where the rights of all are guaranteed. We can take pride in the fact that Northern Ireland can now be held up as a model for best practice and a world-leader in this important area.
The Children and Young People’s Unit (CYPU) published a formal consultation document on the Commissioner for Children for Northern Ireland, which ran from the 9 August to the 8 November 2001. CYPU particularly welcomed the views from children and young people themselves during the consultation as we wanted to make sure our proposals met the needs of those whom the Commissioner is intended to help.
We received over 300 responses to the consultation and many of these were from children and young people either sent to us individually or through youth groups and children's organisations. You can access a summary report of responses to the consultation. (PDF 852 KB)
The appointment process for the Commissioner’s post was extremely innovative, involving both adults and nine young people chosen from the Young People’s Advisory Forum (YPAF).
You can access the consultation document (PDF 613 KB) on the appointment of a Commissioner for Children for Northern Ireland.
on the appointment of a Commissioner for Children for Northern Ireland.What is the Young People’s Advisory Forum?
A group of young people aged between 12 and 18 who have agreed to help the Children and Young People’s Unit in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister develop proposals for a ten-year children’s strategy.
What does the Forum do?
- contribute ideas for a strategy which is designed to help provide a better and brighter future for all children and young people living in Northern Ireland
- helped in the consultation and appointment processes for the Commissioner for Children and Young People
Term of Office/Length of Membership
The first meeting was held on 5 October 2002 and the membership came to an end on 26 June 2004.
Where did the idea of a Young People’s Advisory Forum come from?
Lots of European countries have various sorts of groups of young people who get involved in local and national decision-making.
- in the Republic of Ireland, they have the Dáil na N'óg
- in Scotland and Wales, they have several groups e.g. Scottish Youth Panel and Young Voice in Wales
- in England, their first Advisory Forum for the Children and Young People’s Unit has finished its term of office and they are recruiting a new Forum.
If you would like to know more about our Advisory Forum, you can email Children and Young People’s Unit at cypu@ofmdfmni.gov.uk
