Policies and Legislation
National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007
Background:
The Minister for Youth Affairs requested the National Youth Work Advisory Committee to prepare a Youth Work Development Plan in 1999. The Committee appointed the Children's Research Centre from Trinity College Dublin to undertake the research necessary to prepare the plan. Voluntary organisations were invited to tender submissions to the body regarding how they felt youth work should be developed in the next five years. The Department of Education and Science also arranged a consultative conference which examined and debated issues regarding this development. It was felt that this widespread consultation, which was a successful feature in the drafting of the Youth Work Act, should be also employed in this case, a reflection of the partnership approach being pursued in the youth service today.
The National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007 was published by the Minister for Youth Affairs, Ms SÃle de Valera, T.D., in August 2003. The Plan, which is being managed by the National Youth Work Advisory Committee, provides a blueprint for the development of Youth Work in Ireland for a period of five years.
The Plan has four broad goals:
- To facilitate young people and adults to participate more fully in, and to gain optimum benefit from, youth work programmes and services.
- To enhance the contribution of youth work to social inclusion, social cohesion and citizenship in a rapidly changing national and global context.
- To put in place an expanded and enhanced infrastructure for development, support and coordination at national and local level.
- To put in place mechanisms for enhancing professionalism and ensuring quality standards in youth work.
The National Youth Work Development Plan contains a wide range of provisions relating to the development of youth work. Some of the main principles underpinning the Plan are that it should:
a. Uphold the "voluntary dimension" of youth work, in the various senses outlined in the Youth Work Development Plan and as now defined in law, as an integral part of the tradition of youth work and of its distinctive contribution to Irish society;
b. Promote equality, openness and inclusiveness at all levels and in all areas of youth work;
c. Acknowledge the vital role played by paid youth workers, both in their direct work with young people and their support work with volunteers and organisations;
d. Promote learning by young people through youth work, having regard to, and in a manner complementary with, learning undertaken in formal education settings.
To date a number of priority action areas have been addressed including the development of a Child Protection training and awareness programme for the youth work sector and the development and expansion of the Special Projects for Youth Scheme.
In addition, a North/South Education and Training Standards Committee for youth work for the professional endorsement of youth work training was established in October 2005. The role of the Committee is initially the professional endorsement of courses and programmes of education and training in youth work provided by Higher Education Institutions. Reviews of Youth Information Provision and Funding for the youth work sector have also been carried out as recommended in the Plan.
A sub-committee of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee (NYWAC) is currently reviewing the Plan and will prepare recommendations for NYWAC to present to the Minister for Youth Affairs regarding the next steps to be taken.
Copies of the Plan are available at the Government Sales Office (contact details below) at a cost of €3.00 each. Copies can be also be downloaded from this website at www.omc.gov.ie (HTML and PDF format)
Government Publications Sales Office.
Sun Alliance House
Molesworth Street
Dublin 2
Ph: 01 679 3515
Mail Order: 01 647 6000
For further information on the Plan, contact:
Doreen Burke
Youth Affairs Section
Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
Department of Health and Children
Hawkins House
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 674 3255
Fax: 01 674 3224
Email: doreen_burke@health.gov.ie
National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007 (PDF Format)
National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007 (HTML Format)
Code of Good Practice Child Protection for the Youth Work Sector
The Code of Good Practice was published in September 2002 with a second edition following in May 2003. The publication in 1999 of Children First, National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children charged each and every organisation, whether statutory or voluntary, providing services to children, to produce a child protection policy tailored to their specific needs.
The Code was prepared with the youth work sector specifically in mind. It aims to assist and give direction and guidance to youth workers and youth work organisations/groups in protecting the children and young people under their care and in dealing with allegations or suspicions of child abuse.
Building on these guidelines, a Child Protection Training Programme has been developed for the sector and awareness of child protection procedures and responsibilities have been raised at various levels within youth work organisations.
A national Child Protection Unit, financially resourced by the Youth Affairs Section, was established in January 2005 and is hosted in the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI).
An expert working group is currently reviewing the existing child protection guidelines (last revised in 2003) in light of the experience of the youth work sector and developments such as the introduction of Garda Vetting procedures for new staff and volunteers in September 2006. It is anticipated and envisaged that this group will complete its work in mid-2009.
Copies of the current Code are available at the Government Sales Office at a cost of €2.50. (Contact details below). Copies can also be downloaded from this website at www.omc.gov.ie (HTML and PDF format)
Government Publications Sales Office.
Sun Alliance House
Molesworth Street
Dublin 2
Ph: 01 679 3515
Mail Order: 01 647 6000
For further information on the Code, contact:
Doreen Burke
Youth Affairs Section
Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
Department of Health and Children
Hawkins House
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 674 3255
Fax: 01 674 3224
Code of Good Practice (HTML Version)
Code of Good
Practice (PDF Version 1.67MB)
Principal Features of the Youth Work Act, 2001
Background:
The Youth Work Act, 2001 was enacted in December 2001. This Act was developed following an extensive consultation process and provides a legal framework to support the provision of youth work programmes and services. It details the functions of the Minister, the Vocational Education Committees (VECs) and national/regional youth work organisations in this regard.
Current Position:
To date, Sections 2-7, 16, 17, 18 and 24 of the Act have been commenced.
Sections 2-7 are procedural. Sections 17 and 18 provide for the establishment of a new National Youth Work Advisory Committee (NYWAC). Section 24 prescribes the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) as the first Prescribed National Youth Work Organisation for the three-year period after the commencement of that provision i.e. 22nd April 2002 to 21st April 2005 inclusive. The NYCI was prescribed for a further three years from 22nd April 2005 and again for a further three year period (April 2008 - April 2011).
Purpose:
The purpose of the Act is to provide a legal framework for the provision of youth work programmes and services by the Minister, the Vocational Education Committees (VECs) and by National and Regional Youth Organisations.
The principal features of the Act are:
- To define Youth Work in a clear and concise manner
- To detail policy, budget, research, monitoring and assessment function of the Minister for Education
- To define the function of Vocational Education Committees regarding Youth Work, particularly the procedures, planning and prioritising of funds and the reporting on the provision of Youth Work programmes and services
- To establish a special Youth Work Committee in each VEC area
- To provide for the structure of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee
- To formalise the allocation of grants for Youth Work
- To establish Voluntary Youth Councils to represent the needs and demands of the voluntary sector at local level and
- The appointment of a National Assessor of Youth Work to ensure the best possible use of public money in youth work programmes and services.
Provisions of the Youth Work Act, 2001.
The Act stipulates the responsibility of the Minister in the provision of this service for the first time. The Minister must develop and co-ordinate youth work programmes and services including co-ordination with education and other programme. The Act also allows for the Minister:
- To provide annual funding for youth work programmes and services,
- To carry out research or to commission research in respect of youth work,
- To monitor once a year the youth work programmes and services of at least one organisation in receipt of funding,
- To provide for the assessment once every three years of state funded youth work programmes and services funded by the Vocational Education Committees,
- To appoint the National Youth Work Advisory Committee,
- To give due regard to the treatment of male and females between the ages of 10-21 years and to those who are socially or economically disadvantaged,
- To give direction to Vocational Education Committees or youth work organisations if this is required.
The Act makes provision regarding VECs that:
- VECs must ensure that there is adequate provision of youth work programmes and services in co-ordination with voluntary youth organisations
- VECs will have to prepare a three year development plan for their administrative areas
- VECs will be able to grant, withdraw or reduce financial assistance to Youth Work Organisations
- VECs will be able to arrange for the provision of Youth Work programmes and services where they are not being provided.
A number of Youth Officers have been assigned to the VECs to enable them to carry out the functions set out for them under the Act. These Officers are currently working on an audit of youth work services in their respective VEC areas as well as administering some of the Youth Affairs funding schemes.
The Youth Work Act, 2001 also provides for the expansion of duties of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee. This committee has been in existence since the 1997 Youth Work Act and is a valuable and important source of advice in the production of policy direction in the youth work area.
The Act states that membership of the committee should be not less than 31 members and not more than 33. It consists of:
- 3 Ministerial nominees including the chairperson
- 2 representatives from the Department of Education and Science
- 8 representatives from other Government Departments
- 4 representatives from the Irish Vocational Education Association
- 15/16 representatives nominated by the National Youth Council of Ireland.
For further information on the Act, contact:
Doreen Burke
Youth Affairs Section
Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
Department of Health and Children
Hawkins House
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 674 3255
Fax: 01 674 3224
Email: doreen_burke@health.gov.ie
