The first in a series of training seminars to help improve the lives of children and young people in Northern Ireland has taken place at Queen’s University.
Representatives from government, policy, integrated planning and academia are coming together to discuss the outcomes of the Ten Year Strategy for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland.
The purpose of the training programme is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and practice in Northern Ireland on integrated outcomes based planning for children and young people.
The programme was developed in response to delegate feedback from a conference held last year entitled Improving Children’s Lives: Outcomes, Partnership and Planning which indicated the need for greater focus on outcomes based planning in the context of the six high level outcomes of the Ten Year Strategy.
The first seminar focused on the sixth outcome – ‘Living in a Society which Respects their Rights.’ This outcome is central to the outcomes planning framework of the Ten Year Strategy and will lay the foundation for upcoming seminars on the rest of the five outcomes. Each seminar will address how integrated outcomes based planning can be used to progress the outcome.
Paul Connolly, chair of Improving Children’s Lives, outlined the potential of this seminar: “The Improving Children’s Lives initiative at Queen’s University Belfast is delighted to have this series of events endorsed by OFMDFM.
“We feel the ongoing collaboration between the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership, Children in Northern Ireland , Health and Social Care Board, Public Health Agency and Improving Children’s Lives has significant potential to facilitate real improvements in children’s outcomes.”