This report, Life as a Child and Young Person in Ireland: Report of a National Consultation, documents the views of 66,705 children and young people. This national consultation was conducted to inform development of the Children and Young People’s Policy Framework by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, which will set out the key policy objectives for the next five years.

During 2010, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) (formerly the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, OMCYA) developed the concept and methodology for a children and young people’s consultation. It was agreed that children and young people in every school and Youthreach centre in the country would be invited to complete short questionnaires containing three open questions.

The questions for the primary school children were devised at a consultation with 7-12 year-olds conducted by the OMCYA in November 2010. The three questions devised by children for the primary school children were:

1. What’s the best thing about being a child in Ireland?
2. What’s the worst thing about being a child in Ireland?
3. What one thing would you change in Ireland for children to be happy?

Questions for young people were formulated by the OMCYA’s Children and Young People’s Forum (CYPF) in 2010. The CYPF consists of 35 young people, aged 12-18, from all parts of the country. They are nominated to the CYPF through Comhairle na nÓg and organisations representing seldom-heard children/young people. The three questions for second-level young people were:

1. What do you think is good about being a young person living in Ireland?
2. What do you dislike about being a young person in Ireland?
3. If you were leader of the country, what one thing would you change for young people?