Research
The main goal of the Research Division is to facilitate the achievement of a better understanding of how children grow up in Ireland, including both their individual and shared needs.
There are five key objectives for achieving this goal:
- to generate a comprehensive and coherent understanding of children’s development, preferences, needs and appropriate supports and services;
- to develop research capacity in the area of children’s research and data;
- to develop, support and promote good infrastructure in the area of children’s research and data;
- to improve monitoring and evaluation of children’s services in Ireland at local, national and international level;
- to support a continuum of research and data use within policy and practice settings.
The work of the Research Division of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) is underpinned by the National Strategy for Research and Data on Children’s lives 2011-2016. Specific measures being taken under include:
- commissioning and overseeing a national longitudinal study of children (Growing up in Ireland Study)
- developing a children's funded research programme;(Children Research Programme and co-funded IRCHSS Research Development Initiative)
- capacity building in children's research; (Research Scholarship and Placement Programmes)
- improving information systems about children’s lives; (Implementation of the National Strategy for Research and Data on children’s lives)developing a national set of child well-being indicators; and
- compiling Biennial a State of the Nation's Children report.
