The decision to initiate a consultation with young people who have experienced homelessness was made in light of OCO's positive obligations under Section 7 of the Ombudsman for Children Act, 2002 to consult with children and on the basis that an awareness of the first-hand experiences and corresponding perspectives of young people would strengthen the OCO’s understanding of issues that can arise for children experiencing homelessness.

The issue of homeless children has come to the attention of the Office through our Complaints and Investigation function, and has been dealt with on a case by case basis and has been reported to the Oireachtas through previous annual reports.

The issues participating children were consulted on were identified through the OCO’s work on youth homelessness in the context of the Office’s complaint-handling function.