Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
989. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the development of child and youth impact assessments, including the pilot planned for her Department during the second half of 2025, a timeline for adoption across all Government departments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34833/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children, Disability and Equality has developed a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) Toolkit which will support policy makers and officials to conduct impact assessments on policies, legislation, and other measures which will or could impact the lives of children, before and while they are being developed.
The purpose of a CRIA is to make sure that an assessment of the impact on children’s rights is a core part of developing policy, legislation and in decision-making processes. The CRIA will highlight important opportunities to progress children’s rights and set out actions to safeguard against possible negative impacts on children’s rights.
The ambition is that any new measure being developed within Government Departments and Agencies will be the subject of a CRIA screening process.
A pilot programme ran from July 2025 to January 2026 with the aim of testing the draft CRIA Toolkit. The pilot involved officials across different Government Departments and Agencies who conducted their own CRIAs on policies and services specific to their remit.
Feedback was received from stakeholder groups that greater clarity was needed on the distinction between children and young people, the CRIA now explicitly focuses on and primarily references ‘children’ (under 18s) and ‘children’s rights’, while acknowledging the potential for young adults up to the age of 24 to require additional supports as they transition to adulthood. The 'Child rights and youth impact assessment (CRYIA)' has been renamed the 'Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA).
Additional input is now being sought from officials in targeted areas, including through dedicated workshops.
Feedback from these consultative processes is being reviewed and incorporated into the revised CRIA Toolkit and CRIA implementation process, which are expected to be finalised, approved, and rolled out across Government Departments and Agencies in late 2026/early 2027.
