This is the fifth edition of our annual report card series. The first edition, Report Card 2009, examined whether the Government had honoured the promises it had made to the over one million children living in Ireland, and awarded it a ‘D’ grade. Report Card 2010 saw deterioration in the Government’s performance, reflected by its overall ‘D-’ grade, which demonstrated Government’s barely acceptable performance and the limited positive impact of policies on children’s lives. In Report Card 2011, Government made no improvement, again getting a dismal ‘D-‘ grade. Report Card 2012 saw a marked improvement with an overall ‘C+’ grade – the best overall grade in the Report Card series to date. It reflected the Government’s commitment to children’s rights, evidenced in the appointment of a Minister for Children and Youth Affairs with full cabinet status; the creation of a new Department of Children and Youth Affairs; and the commitment to hold a referendum on children’s rights.
Report Card 2013 evaluates the Government on its progress during 2012 in meeting its commitments to children, as set out in the 2011 Programme for Government. It is awarded an overall ‘C’ grade, reflecting a satisfactory attempt to date, though children remain wanting.