Patrick Costello
Question:69. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Taoiseach to provide an update on the proposed child poverty and well-being summit scheduled to take place this year. [26201/24]
View answerTuesday, 18 June 2024
Questions (69)
Written answers
I was delighted to host the Child Poverty and Well-being Summit on Thursday 23rd May in Dublin Castle.
I welcomed the former UK Prime Minister and Chancellor the Right Honourable Gordon Brown, who shared what he had learned from his experience of reducing child poverty rates in the UK in his keynote address. My colleague Roderic O’ Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth also gave a keynote address.
Children’s participation was an important feature of the day and included an art exhibition, a specially written musical performance from Music Generation, and engagement with our Youth Advisory Group on Child Poverty and Well-being.
It was a pleasure to see the artistic contributions from children and young people and it was a highlight of my day to meet many of the children and young people on the day of the Summit.
The Summit itself had three objectives: to increase the focus on child poverty across government, take stock of progress and learning to date, and to inform future considerations.
To further that end, policymakers from across the public service were in attendance, as well as representatives from the non-Government sector and research organisations. A panel discussion took place in the morning and 17 innovative Case Clinics on realising the ambition of working together took place in the afternoon. Case Clinic topics were wide ranging and included preventing family homelessness, maximising the impact of social welfare payments, and improving educational outcomes for migrant children.
A summary report on the Summit will be published by the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in due course.
Further details about the Summit and the Report will be available on: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/7c189-child-poverty-and-well-being-programme-office/
Question No. 70 answered with Question No. 68.