Section for Children and Young People

The Programme Office is grateful to the Comhairle na nÓg National Executive for helping to prepare this webpage.

The Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office helps all the different parts of Government work together to improve the lives of children and young people growing up in poverty. So it is important that the Programme Office listens to children and young people directly.

Soon after it was set up, the Programme Office published a plan for its work for 2023 to 2025. This plan was written with the help of organisations that work with children and young people every day. A one-page, child-friendly summary of the Programme Plan report can be read here:

In May 2024, the Programme Office organised its first Annual Summit where lots of people gathered to discuss how to improve the Government’s response to child poverty. The Programme Office published a report summarising the events of the Annual Summit. A one-page, child-friendly version of this report can be read here:

A group of young people called the Youth Advisory Group attended the Annual Summit. The Youth Advisory Group was set up by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Children. This Group was made up of young people aged 16-18 from across Ireland, and they met to talk to each other about their ideas for what the Government can do to improve children’s lives. The Group presented their ideas to the Taoiseach. A short, animated video made by the Youth Advisory Group was shown at the Summit. This video can be viewed here:

A report describing the process behind the Youth Advisory Group can be read here:

The Programme Office asked a group of young people from the organisation Music Generation to compose and perform an original song at the Annual Summit. A video of this performance can be viewed here:

The Annual Summit included an exhibition of children and young people’s artwork. Young artists from SWAN Youth Service, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, and Photo Museum Ireland were represented:

In February 2025, the Programme Office published a report summarising the progress it has made in its first year of work. A one-page, child-friendly version of this report can be read here:

Every autumn, the Government decides what to spend its money on for the next year. This is called the Budget. For each Budget, the Programme Office publishes a report about the new spending that helps children and families in poverty. A one-page, child-friendly summary of the Budget 2025 report can be read here:

Sometimes young people come into the Department to talk to, and work alongside, the Programme Office. For example, for World Children’s Day, the Taoiseach meets young advocates from UNICEF as part of their annual Taoiseach’s Takeover. The Programme Office also meets young people on Transition Year and Work Experience.

Through all of these activities, and others, the Programme Office listens to children and young people regularly. No child is the same, and children in Ireland have lots of different views and ideas. However, when thinking about what the Government should focus on, children and young people frequently mention the following topics:

• Making sure all families have enough money for the essentials
• Improving mental health services
• Making housing more affordable and accessible
• Addressing climate change
• Reducing the cost of education
• Making public transport more affordable and, particularly in rural areas, more accessible

Please feel free to use any of these resources if you want to talk about child poverty and how we can address it. If you want to get in touch with us, you can email: cpw@taoiseach.gov.ie

Additional resources and information are available on the other pages of our website www.gov.ie/childpoverty