Related Information
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Facts at a Glance
- One-third of the children in Northern Ireland live in poverty. 1
- Children are four times more likely to die before age 20 and five times more likely to die in accidents. 2
- Children are three-and-a-half times more likely to develop a limited, long-term illness; and are committing suicide at a rate three times the norm. 3
The Situation in Brief
Northern Ireland enjoys broad awareness of children’s needs and rights, innovative programmes, and growing interest in evidence-based services. But Northern Ireland has invested less in children than the rest of the UK has and has focused investments on the neediest children so preventive services reach too few children.
Organisations work in isolation, sharing little information with one another. Government responsibility for children crosses departments and agencies so families must navigate confusing social welfare and justice systems.
Disadvantaged Children & Youth Programme Goals
The goals of the Disadvantaged Children & Youth Programme in Northern Ireland are as follows:
- Help more organisations offer high-quality early education and out-of-school-time learning opportunities; health care services; and family and mentoring services.
- Support organisations that give programme providers and policy makers technical advice and relevant information – with an eye towards helping them work more closely together and share research more broadly.
- Strengthen organisations that advocate for public backing of better policies and programmes for children.
Disadvantaged Children and Youth Resources
- Central Survey Unit, Child of the New Century Survey, www.csu.nisra.gov.uk/surveys/survey.asp?id=41
- High/Scope UK, http://www.high-scope.org.uk/index.htm
- Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, http://www.niccy.org/default.aspx?menuId=4
- Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, www.nisra.gov.uk
- Online Research Bank Children's Database, http://www.ark.ac.uk/orb/child.html
- Queens University, Belfast-Institute of Child Care Research, http://www.qub.ac.uk/ss/cccr/
- Trust for the Study of Adolescence, www.tsa.uk.com
- What Works for Children?, http://www.whatworksforchildren.org.uk/
More Facts At a Glance
- Every year, 3.4% of children are permanently excluded from nursery, primary and secondary schools.
- Of the children who graduate, 41% achieve less than five General Certificates in Secondary Education of grade C or above.
Continue to read about our Disadvantaged Children & Youth Programme in the Republic of Ireland »
Footnotes
1, Source: October 2003 Democratic Dialogue study
2, Source: 2001 Census
3, Source: 2001 Census