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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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October 22, 2024: Research, published by the ESRI and produced in partnership with DCEDIY, looks at changes in the prevalence and profile of disability among 13-year-olds between 2011/12 and 2021/22, using data from the Growing Up in Ireland study. The report looks at both the total number of 13-year-olds with a long-lasting condition or illness and the subset of young people who have a disability, that is, are hampered in their day-to-day lives by that condition. Overview and report available here
Image: GUI Annual Conference
The 16th Growing Up in Ireland Annual Research Conference took place in the Gibson Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday, 9th October 2024. The conference showcased the latest research using the Growing Up in Ireland datasets. The keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Michelle Kelly-Irving, from Inserm-University of Toulouse, France, which examined the evidence for social inequalities in health from a range of cohorts and countries. A total of 17 research projects were presented by academic researchers who have analysed GUI data. Topics included screen-time, mental health and wellbeing, substance use, parental depression, gaming, COVID 19 impacts, sexual and physical health, gender differences in education, bullying, books in early childhood and anti-social behaviour. Presentations and details available here
October 9, 2024: A report, published by the ESRI, and produced in partnership with DCEDIY, finds that becoming a lone parent increases the risk of economic vulnerability. Economic vulnerability is measured based on low income, material deprivation and financial stress. The study draws on the Growing Up in Ireland 08 Cohort and follows the trajectories of families over nine years (2008-2017), from when the study child was aged nine months to nine years. It considers which lone parent families are most at risk of economic vulnerability, how transitions into lone parenthood influence economic vulnerability and what factors are associated with exiting economic vulnerability. Overview and report available here
September 19, 2024: Launch of Growing Up in Ireland new birth cohort. More information here
July 2024: A report by TCD with BeLonG To focussed on the mental health, issues of safety, discrimination, media, school and health care utilisation within the LGBTQI+ community. Details and reports available here
June 20, 2024: A report published by DCEDIY from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data. GUI has been following the progress of over 6,000 children born in 2008 since they were babies. In 2021/22, when these children were aged 13 years – and just emerging from the rigours of the COVID-19 pandemic – they and their parents were interviewed on a range of topics including health, school, relationships and their general well-being. As part of that survey, 13-year-olds and their parents self-completed some questions on the challenges of early adolescence including smoking, drinking and vaping; sex and relationship issues; bullying; mental health and family relationships. The report provides a first look at what young people and parents told us about these challenging issues, and illustrates some of the patterns emerging for boys and girls, and families with more or less socio-economic advantage. Find the report here
June 20, 2024: launch of the Health Research Board (HRB) commissioned project which explores risky health behaviours in that older GUI cohort (Cohort ’98), reporting on their engagement with alcohol and drugs slightly later in adolescence (17-20yrs).
May 28, 2024: A report published by the ESRI and produced in partnership with DCEDIY, looks at how the lives of 13-year-olds have changed over a decade in terms of their relationships with family and friends, their day-to-day activities and their school experiences. The report draws on data from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, comparing 13-year-olds in 2011/12 and 2021/22 (Cohorts ’98 and ’08), a period of considerable social and policy change, including the disruption of the pandemic, growing digitalisation and reform of the junior cycle. Overview and report available here
On the 22 March, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published research that found attitudes in Ireland towards refugees and immigration remain largely positive, both compared with previous data on attitudes in Ireland and compared with other European countries. However, the research also found that some attitudes became less positive in the last 6 months of 2023 in particular, and that attitudes are more positive towards some groups than others. There has also been an increase in the proportion of people who feel immigration is one of the top two issues facing Ireland today.
This report was published as part of a joint research programme on integration and equality between the ESRI and DCEDIY. Using high-quality representative European survey data, the report examines attitudes towards immigration over the past 20 years and in comparative perspective. The report also draws on the large IPSOS representative survey of adults in Ireland, which DCEDIY commissioned in 2023. The report examines what factors are associated with more or less positive attitudes and comfort levels with different migrant groups.
You can read the report here
Image: GUI Workshop Banner
The next Growing Up in Ireland data workshop will take place online on the morning of Wednesday March 6th. The workshops covers a broad range of topics and aim to promote and support the use of the Growing Up in Ireland datasets from both the Child Cohort ’98 (now aged 26) and the Infant Cohort ’08 (now aged 16). No previous knowledge of the Study is required.
Learn more here
Also, if you want to see some of the research that has already been produced using Growing Up in Ireland data, click here
On 26 January, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman published a research report on the experiences of people affected by a loss of pregnancy while working, which details recommendations to improve supports for those affected. The department commissioned researchers in University College Cork (UCC) to carry out this research project in 2022, with the aim of guiding the department on how best to support those who experience a pregnancy loss while in employment. This project was led by Prof Keelin O’Donoghue and managed by Marita Hennessy, and consisted of a team of researchers across UCC and University of Galway.
Read the full report here
Read the press release here
January 25, 2024: This ESRI report draws on data from Cohort ’98 at age 17 and 20 of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, documenting the profile of young adult carers and exploring the implications of caregiving for their wellbeing, relationships and educational pathways. Details and report here
Image: SONCBANNER
On 25 January 2024 we published the latest edition of the State of the Nation’s Children (SONC) report. This online report provides a comprehensive picture of our children's lives by presenting key information on children’s health, behavioural and educational outcomes, their relationships with their parents and their friends, as well as, the supports and services available to children. SONC provides the most up-to-date data on the National Set of Child Wellbeing indicators, and:
- charts the wellbeing of children in Ireland
- tracks changes over time
- benchmarks progress in Ireland relative to other countries
SONC is widely used as a resource by policy makers, the research community and civil society, and aims to inform Government policy on children, young people and families. The SONC reports are useful for tracking trends in relation to children’s wellbeing, they provide data that shows us where more work needs to be done and presents us with evidence of where progress is being made.
This report is updated annually by the Data and Analytics Unit and can be accessed here
Image: Research Event Poster
On Wednesday 6 December, we were delighted to showcase our updated poster on How we use evidence to improve the lives of children and young people at the Children’s Research Network of Ireland and Northern Ireland Annual Conference, in University College Dublin.
How we use evidence to improve the lives of children and young people
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The Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) annual research conference took place on November 8th, 2023 at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin. The event was attended by over 200 delegates from a wide range of research, practice and policy backgrounds, all focused on the improvement of the lives and well-being of children in Ireland. The conference acts as an important forum for sharing new research based on the GUI datasets; there were 24 research presentations, along with addresses from Minister Roderic O’Gorman, Secretary General Kevin McCarthy (DCEDIY) and keynote speaker Professor Morag Treanor. This was the first Growing Up in Ireland conference hosted by the Department, under the revised managed structure of Growing Up in Irealnd (which as of January 2023) sees the Department and the Central Statistics Office sharing responsibility for managing the Study. To read more click here
Image: Public Service Transformation Week Banner
This webinar directly links with the government’s commitment as part of Impact 2030 to strengthen citizens’ voice in research. For effective policy making, it is important that the citizen’s voice informs our research and policy making. During this webinar, we presented on why inclusive research matters in the public service. The webinar also demonstrated, with examples of best practice, how inclusive research which takes account of a diverse range of the population, makes for better public policy.
You can find out more about the event and access the presentations here . There is also a list of useful links that were shared during the webinar.
DCEDIY has a call under the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Public Service Fellowship Programme 2023. Under the fellowship programme, DCEDIY is looking for a faculty and/or postdoctoral researcher to carry out mapping of children’s and young person’s services using Geo Hive and Geo Spatial data to inform planning for service delivery and improve access and information on services . You can read more about the call here .
The fellowship allows researchers a unique opportunity to be temporarily seconded to Government Departments and Agencies (Host Organisations) to work on specific projects where they can add value resulting in mutually beneficial outcomes.
The closing date for application is 13:00 (Dublin local time) Thursday 5 October 2023. All details are available on the SFI Public Service Fellowship webpage .
Each project outline provided on the website indicates the expected duration and time commitment of the project. The maximum Public Service Fellowship award amount is €100,000 in direct costs (teaching buy-out or salary contribution, and mobility allowance).
For additional information or clarification on any of the above, please contact: psfellowship@sfi.ie
- Information webinar - SFI have provided an information webinar on the 2023 call on the SFI Public Service Fellowship webpage .
- Applicant Eligibility - This call is open to both faculty and postdoctoral researchers. The researcher must remain an employee of the Research Body at all times, including during the secondment. Please see the call document for further details on eligibility criteria. Please note that the PhD must have been conferred at the time of application. For postdoctoral researchers, they must hold a current postdoctoral research contract at time of application.
- Applicant CV - a CV template for this call is available for download on the webpage under the How to Apply section.
- Letters of Support - please note the requirement for additional letters of support if the applicant is a Faculty researcher who already holds an active SFI award, or if the applicant is a postdoctoral researcher requesting a salary on the Research Fellow or Senior Research Fellow SFI salary scale.
Image: LGBTI+ IPAS Launch
Pictured at the report launch are left to right: Minister Roderic O’Gorman, T.D, Collette O’Regan (LGBT Ireland), Rory Sugrue (LGBT Ireland) and David Delaney (DCEDIY).
On Tuesday 12th September 2023, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D. launched this report which sets out new recommendations to support members of the LGBTI+ community living in International Protection accommodation. The report , produced by LGBT Ireland, was commissioned by the Department to understand how best to meet its objective of ensuring that LGBTI+ residents in IPAS accommodation are supported, and follows a recommendation in the LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy.
On 29 June 2023, the department published an Ipsos survey of 3,008 people on attitudes towards diversity and the equality grounds. The department contracted Ipsos to do this poll in 2022, as part of its review Review of the Equality Acts. As part of that work, the department wanted to understand public attitudes across all the equality grounds. Under the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014, the department is also required to assess and report on progress on equality goals.
Ipsos did this poll between 7th March and 12th April 2023.
The survey questionnaire was designed by IPSOS in conjunction with several Government departments and representatives from different civil society groups. These include Pavee Point, NDA, AsIam, Independent Living Movement, the Irish deaf society, National Platform of Self Advocates; Voice of Vision, Physical Impairment Ireland, Disabled Women Ireland; BelongTo, INAR, MRCI and the ESRI. In addition, several civil society groups were shown the survey and asked for feedback.
To read about the results of this survey which were in general, very positive, although with some areas of concern, please read the full report and the press release here
The poll will inform Equality Strategies and point us in the direction of where more work is required to combat prejudice against different groups
Image: Building Bridges for Youth Wellbeing
On 1 March 2023, 46 policy makers and 36 higher education researchers and professional staff came together in Tangent Business School, Trinity College Dublin, to build bridges and better align emerging and existing research evidence on youth wellbeing with Government policy priorities.
The event was organised by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Campus Engage, Irish Universities Association (IUA). It was funded by the Higher Education Authority.
In a spirit of mutual learning, the DCEDIY and IUA set out to build trust, and an understanding of existing and future policy needs on youth wellbeing. The objective was to fill in the gaps in research evidence to address youth policy challenges and to inform researchers of the ongoing work and priorities across Government in this area.
The event involved plenary speeches and 3 brokerage sessions on specific youth wellbeing themes. These brokerage sessions were chaired by Ms Mary Doyle, Visiting Fellow, Public Policy, Trinity College Dublin, Dr Fergal Lynch, Senior Lead, Government and Public Policy Engagement, University of Galway, and Seán Ó Foghlú, Senior Fellow, in Public Policy, Maynooth University.
You can find out more about the event and read a report that includes feedback from attendees here
Image: PLACES_RecruitmentPoster_20230306
Pregnancy loss affects up to one in every four pregnancies, most occurring in the first 12 weeks. The loss of a pregnancy can have a devastating impact on women and their partners, and navigating the workplace at such a time can add further difficulties. In Ireland, mandatory paid time off work for pregnancy loss is only available to people who experience a stillbirth (after 24 weeks of pregnancy), though some employers may provide paid leave in accordance with their own policies.
The department has commissioned the PLACES (Pregnancy Loss in Workplaces) project to establish whether policy interventions are required in the workplace to better support people following pregnancy loss under 24 weeks’ gestation. Led by Professor Keelin O’Donoghue , researchers from the Pregnancy Loss Research Group at Cork University Maternity Hospital and University College Cork and University of Galway are examining workplace experiences of people who have had a pregnancy loss.
As part of this project, the research team would like to hear from women or men who have experienced a pregnancy loss, whilst in paid employment, in the last five years. A pregnancy loss can include ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or miscarriage, before 24 weeks’ gestation. If you would like to take part, please visit the PLACES survey here . You will be asked to respond to an online survey which has questions about your pregnancy loss experience in your workplace. If you would like to, you can also sign up to take part in an interview where a member of the research team will ask you more questions and details about your experience.
If you would like more information about the study, please visit https://www.ucc.ie/en/pregnancyloss/researchprojects/places/ , or contact Ruadh Kelly-Harrington at rkelly-harrington@ucc.ie
For support around pregnancy loss please visit:
On Monday 20 February the ESRI will be hosting a seminar to launch the DCEDIY/ESRI Research Partnership report ‘Housing Adequacy and Child Outcomes in Early and Middle Childhood’
This report draws on the Growing Up in Ireland study to explore the housing conditions faced by children and the implications this has for their cognitive, socio-emotional and health outcomes. The study adopts a multi-dimensional approach to measuring housing conditions, incorporating housing tenure, suitability of accommodation, heating deprivation, neighbourhood disorder and housing mobility. This seminar will feature opening remarks from our Secretary General, Kevin McCarthy, a presentation of the findings by Dr James Laurence, Prof Emer Smyth and Prof Helen Russell and a following discussion with David Dalton, Principal Officer, Housing Systems Market & Policy Business Unit, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
If you are interested in registering for the event please follow the link below
The research and evaluation unit has presented a poster at a few recent events which shows examples of “How we use evidence to improve the lives of children and young people”. You can view the poster below.
How we use evidence to improve the lives of children and young people
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Image: GUI Webinar
On Tuesday October 25th, as part of the Public Service Innovation week 2022, the Research and Evaluation unit hosted a seminar on Growing Up in Ireland. Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study on children and young people, proudly sponsored by this Department. Since 2006, the study has provided a multitude of policy relevant findings across key areas of participants lives – findings that have been used extensively across Government Departments and the wider public sector, to inform policy development and the provision of services.
Dr Clare Farrell, Programme Manager, for Growing Up in Ireland, from the Research and Evaluation Unit and Bridget Hearne, Statistician from the Central Statistics Office talked about this landmark study, how it works, what it has achieved and how it might be of interest to your work and about the future plans of the study. This event was chaired by Dr Anna Visser, Head of Research and Evaluation. A video recording of that presentation is available here
The publication of Statistical Spotlight No 6 on Gender Norms by the Research and Evaluation Unit aims to provide national data to measure the characteristics of the OECD framework on “restrictive masculinities” and their consequences for women and girls empowerment in Ireland.
To publicise and raise awareness of this research around masculine gender norms, a webinar was organised by DCEDIY in March 2022. This webinar – entitled “Shifting Masculine Norms to Promote Women’s Empowerment” and moderated by Cathal Mac Coille – introduced the OECD Framework and the main findings of Statistical Spotlight no. 6. Featured speakers included Bathylle Missika from the OECD Development Centre, Sinéad Gibney, Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights and Equality Commission and Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland, as well as Ronnie Downes, Assistant Secretary, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Fergal Fox, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Communications for the Health Service Executive Health and Wellbeing programme, and the authors of the Statistical Spotlight report Nicola Tickner and Fiona Corcoran, Research and Evaluation Unit, Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
You can read more about the webinar which was attended by over 130 people in the Department’s LinkedIn page here
A report on the discussion at the webinar was commissioned by the Department from Dr Pauline Cullen of Maynooth University, and can be found here
July 2022, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman received government approval for the establishment of a new Growing Up in Ireland birth cohort
The new birth cohort will see Growing Up in Ireland track the lives of a new generation of Irish children – babies who are yet to be born and who will be 9 months old in 2024. This will ensure Ireland has access to robust national data on what it is like to grow up in contemporary, post-pandemic Ireland. It is likely the number of babies included in the study will be in the region of 10,000. It will also mean that we will be able to compare the experiences of these young infants as they grow up to the earlier Growing Up in Ireland cohorts – those young people who are now age 14 and 24.
Read the Press Release.
To find out more about the GUI, visit the GUI website.
On January 26 2022, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, announced the commencement of a new research and data project examining the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children. This project will address the Ryan Report Implementation Plan recommendation for longitudinal research with young people leaving care. The text of the Minister’s announcement is detailed in a press release.
Find out more about the project which is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) with Tusla as a key partner.