Consultation and Governance of Growing Up in Ireland

The Growing Up in Ireland Study Team undertakes a wide-ranging consultation process. The following summarises the main bodies and processes.

Consultations with other academics and policy-makers:

• multi-institute Scientific Advisory Group
• inter-departmental Steering Group
• Research Ethics Committee
• international advisors commissioned by the DCEDIY
• stakeholder groups
• other longitudinal studies who have undertaken fieldwork with particular age groups already
• literature reviews

Other consultation streams:

• internal expertise of Study Team, Management Group and DCEDIY Project Team
• feedback from families and interviewers
• legislation

Children’s Advisory Forum

At the start of the project in 2006, a panel of over 80 children from a sample of schools around the country was set up to advise the Study Team on the development of the study. The children provided input into questionnaire content and design, helped to design the study logo and gave a children’s perspective to various study materials. Although the Children’s Advisory Forum was largely focused on the initial set-up of the Study and the instrumentation for Wave 1 of the Child Cohort, the Study Team have continued to build on the Forum’s invaluable input.

Focus groups

In preparation for Growing Up in Ireland Phase 2, the Study Team – with the help of the DCYA and schools – convened a number of focus groups with young people aged 17-18 years. A single large day-long session was carried out with young people from around the country who participate in Comhairlí na nÓg. These were supplemented by focus groups in individual schools and Youth Reach programmes.

To update our consultations with younger children in preparation for the Infant Cohort at 9 years, four individual focus groups were arranged in schools around the country and within the ESRI. These covered current issues for 9-year-olds as well as asking children to give their feedback on new data capture methods.

The Study Team would like to thank all of the children, young people, parents, schools and other organisations who have participated in and facilitated in all of the consultation phases over the years.

The work of the Growing Up in Ireland team is overseen by a network of internal and external groups.

These include:

• the DCEDIY Project Team and Steering Group
• a specially-convened Research Ethics Committee
• international reviewers and advisors

The ESRI comes under the remit of the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman