Introduction
EPIC welcomes the opportunity to make this submission.
The full Draft Combined Fifth and Sixth State Report of Ireland to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child prepared by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is noted by EPIC. For the purpose of this submission however, EPIC will only focus on sections 22 (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) insofar as they are included under the ‘alternative care’ heading.
EPIC acknowledges the submissions of other organisations in the children’s rights section, and notes the impact that so many other areas of the report have on the lives of children in alternative, such as:
- the impact of education, delayed access to, or lack of access to, appropriate educational supports;
- the ongoing housing crisis in Ireland;
- the detrimental impact of Covid-19 on the lives of all children in Ireland;
- the high numbers of young people living in poverty;
- the long waiting lists for access to and diagnosis of, and treatment for, mental health supports, as well as physical disabilities.
Read the full Submission (PDF)
