The Invisible Students : Young Parents in Education

As Minister for Children, I am pleased to publish this paper on young parents and education disadvantage, which has been commissioned as part of the evaluation of the Teenage Parents Support Initiative (TPSI). The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss key aspects of the policy landscape in relation to young parentsâ?T participation in education and to inform the work of the TPSI pilot projects. For all young people, education and training offers a possible route out of poverty, social exclusion and isolation. Research suggests that teenage parents represent a particularly vulnerable group within the education system and that difficulties in continuing formal education and in accessing relevant training opportunities are significant issues for young parents and their children. Download document here

A New Partnership in Education: From Consultation to Legislation in the Nineties

"In the nineties, dialogue in the Irish education system has been frenetic and painful at times. But it has gradually led to an extraordinary cohesion and partnership in the system. The book tracks the major consultations - and confrontations - of the nineties and it explores the personalities and policies of the protagonists - ministers, officials, leaders of Church bodies and third-level institutions, representatives of teachers' unions and parents' organisations." "All of the important consultation documents of the decade are here, the various drafts of the Green and White Papers - some benign, some infamous - the Bills, the Acts. The big issues are expertly set forth - intermediate structures and regionalisation, school governance and boards of management, the role of the Churches, higher education and the abolition of tuition fees."-This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Arts In Education Charter

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will introduce a Public Service Education Dividend (PSED). This will place new obligations on the Arts Council, on arts organisations and on individual artists in receipt of public funds. The Arts Council will ensure that arts organisations which it supports from the public purse include arts – in - education as part of their programme of work. All publicly funded arts organisations will be obliged to donate time per annum to a local education initiative. Individual artists funded from the public purse, including those in receipt of the artists' tax exemption, shall donate at least 2 hours each per annum to a local education initiative.

Promoting young people's social and emotional wellbeing in secondary education.

This guidance is for all those who have a responsibility for the social and emotional wellbeing of young people in secondary education. This includes teachers, support staff, governors and professionals with public health as part of their remit working in education (including the independent sector), local authorities, the NHS and the wider public, voluntary and community sectors. It focuses on interventions to support all young people aged 11-19 who attend any education establishment. Social and emotional wellbeing includes being happy, confident and in control, with the ability to solve and cope with problems and have good relationships with other people. The six recommendations cover: strategy, the key principles and conditions, working in partnership with parents, families and young people, the curriculum, and training and professional development. They include: â?¢ Secondary education establishments should have access to the specialist skills, advice and support they require. â?¢ Practitioners should have the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to develop young peopleâ?Ts social and emotional wellbeing. â?¢ Secondary education establishments should provide a safe environment which nurtures and encourages young peopleâ?Ts sense of self-worth, reduces the threat of bullying and violence and promotes positive behaviour. â?¢ Social and emotional skills education should be tailored to the developmental needs of young people.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

In-depth assessment delivers the verdict on the Government�۪s promise of a more equal society

An independent and detailed expert analysis of a decade of reforms (published 25 February) takes up the challenge made by Peter Mandelson in 1997 to “judge us after ten years of success in office. For one of the fruits of that success will be that Britain has become a more equal society.����”Commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the study, by a team led by LSE’s Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, shows sharp contrasts between different policy areas. Notable success stories include reductions in child and pensioner poverty, improved education outcomes for the poorest children and schools, and narrowing economic and other divides between deprived and other areas.But health inequalities continued to widen, gaps in incomes between the very top and very bottom grew, and poverty increased for working-age people without children.����In several policy areas there was a marked contrast between the first half of the New Labour period and the second half, when progress has slowed or even stalled.John Hills, one of the leaders of study, said, “Whether Britain has moved towards becoming a ‘more equal society’ depends on what you look at, and when. Where clear initiatives were taken, results followed. But as the growth of living standards slowed, even well before the recession, and public finances tightened, momentum seems to have been lost in several key areas.”Kitty Stewart added, “The government can take heart from achievements such as the reduction in child poverty up to 2004.����Recent data show that by then, child well-being in the UK had begun to move up the European league table from its dismal showing at the start of the decade that formed the basis of UNICEF’s damning 2007 report. But even with improved figures, Britain was still left with one of the highest rates of child poverty out of the 15 original EU members, and the latest figures show it had increased again by 2006/7.”����The study concludes that the decade from 1997 was favourable to an egalitarian agenda in several ways: the economy grew continuously; the government had large majorities and aspired to create more equality; and public attitudes surveys suggested pent-up demand for more public expenditure. But that environment now looks very uncertain, not just in the near future, but also in the longer term.����Fiscal pressures from an ageing society could further constrain resources available for redistribution, and public attitudes towards the benefit system have hardened while support for redistribution has declined.Hills added, “The 1980s and 1990s showed that hoping that rapid growth in living standards at the top would ‘trickle down’ to those at the bottom did not work.����The period since 1997 has shown that gains are possible through determined interventions, but they require intensive and continuous effort to be sustained.”JRF Chief Executive Julia Unwin added, “We know the potential impact the deepening recession will have on those already living in poverty. This book provides an important, timely and comprehensive assessment of where we are and what remains to be done.”

Fermanagh - Your Life in Your Hands

This project intends to build on the success in equipping individuals with mental health problems, who are obese, with the skills necessary to make healthier lifestyle choices.Particpants will work as a group and support each other. A range of sessions were held on health issues of importance to clients (stress, exercise, mental health) through information workshops, training, pharmacy clinics, cooking etc. For the participants involved in the project their confidence has grown and they are able to share their learning with others at the centre. The clients are aware of other services and how to access them. The pharmacist role played a visit to the doctors to help clients get the best out of their appointment. The mental health of those involved has also imporved and has spurred them on to make changes in their overall lifestyle.

National Strategy for Higher Education 2030

Ireland’s higher education system has played a major role in the development of Irish society and the economy, and has an even more critical role to play in the coming decades as we seek to rebuild an innovative knowledge-based economy that will provide sustainable employment opportunities and good standards of living for all our citizens. Its role in enabling every citizen to realise their full potential and in generating new ideas through research are and will be the foundation for wider developments in society. The development of the higher education system in the years to 2030 will take place initially in an environment of severe constraints on public finances. Demand to invest in education to support job creation and innovation, and to help people back into employment is increasing. In the wider world, globalisation, technological advancement and innovation are defining economic development, people are much more mobile internationally as they seek out career opportunities, and competition for foreign direct investment remains intense.

National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 - Summary

Ireland’s higher education system has played a major role in the development of Irish society and the economy, and has an even more critical role to play in the coming decades as we seek to rebuild an innovative knowledge-based economy that will provide sustainable employment opportunities and good standards of living for all our citizens. Its role in enabling every citizen to realise their full potential and in generating new ideas through research are and will be the foundation for wider developments in society. The development of the higher education system in the years to 2030 will take place initially in an environment of severe constraints on public finances. Demand to invest in education to support job creation and innovation, and to help people back into employment is increasing. In the wider world, globalisation, technological advancement and innovation are defining economic development, people are much more mobile internationally as they seek out career opportunities, and competition for foreign direct investment remains intense.