THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL SET OF CHILD WELL-BEING INDICATORS IRELAND Sinéad Hanafin, PhD Anne-Marie Brooks

 Provide an overview of:  the approach used to develop the national set of child well-being indicators in Ireland; and  the characteristics of the national set of child well-being indicators, including guiding definitions, guiding principles and selection criteria  Highlight key considerations and challenges when reporting on child well-being. CHILD WELL-BEING INDICATORS Presentation overview

 Data-driven  Policy-driven  Theory-driven CHILD WELL-BEING INDICATORS Approaches to indicator development

‘Healthy and successful individual functioning, positive relationships and a social ecology that providers safety, human and civil rights, social justice and participation in civil society’ (Andrews et al., 2002, P. 103) CHILD WELL-BEING INDICATORS Guiding definition of well-being

 Go beyond basic survival in its representation of well-being  Focus on positive as well as negative aspects of children’s lives  Take account of the experience of childhood in itself  Include some of the new domains of child well-being WELL-BEING INDICATORS Guiding principles

 Comprehensive coverage  Children of all ages  Clear and comprehensible  Positive outcomes  Forward-looking  Rigorous methods  Geographically detailed  Cost-efficient  Reflective of social goals WELL-BEING INDICATORS Guiding selection criteria

1.A background review of indicators sets in use elsewhere and the compilation of an inventory of key indicators, domains and indicator selection criteria; 2.A feasibility study of the availability of national statistics to construct the indicators identified in the previous step; 3.A study on Children’s Understandings of Well- Being; and 4.A consensus process referred to as a Delphi technique, where participants on ‘a panel of expertise’ agreed indicators for use in the Irish context. CHILD WELL-BEING INDICATORS Ireland’s approach to indicator development

42 child well-being indicators 7 socio-demographic indicators 4 to be developed Pets and animals Quality of early childhood care and education Values and respect Nutritional outcomes WELL-BEING INDICATORS Outcome

95.8% agreed that the indicator set included measures that assess well-being across a broad range of domains including: Abuse and maltreatment Housing Out of home placements Health conditions and healthcare Economic security Early childhood care and education Environment and places Mental health (incl. self-reported happiness) Nutrition Participation in decision-making Public expenditure on services for children Children’s relationships Self-esteem Sexual health and behaviour Things to do Use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs Values and respect SELECTION CRITERIA Comprehensive

83.3% agreed that the indicator set included enough measures for children of every age from birth through to adolescence including :  The number of births within each 500g-weight interval, expressed as a proportion of all registered live and stillbirths.  The number of children under 5 in various early childcare and education arrangements,  The number of children in age categories 8-11 and who report to feel happy with the way they are. SELECTION CRITERIA Children of all ages

93.8% agreed that the indicator set included enough negative measures and enough positive measures of well- being including:  The number of children referred to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme, expressed as a proportion of all children.  The number of children aged 11, 13 and 15 who report that students participate in making the rules at their school. SELECTION CRITERIA Positive and negative

90.0% agreed that the indicator set included enough objective measures and enough subjective measures of well-being:  The number of children living in households with a household income below the national 60% median, equivalised using the modified OECD equivalence scale, expressed as a proportion of all children.  The number of children aged 11, 13 and 15 who report to be happy with their life at present, expressed as a proportion of all children in the same age groups. SELECTION CRITERIA Objective and subjective

DEVLOPMENTS  Middle childhood period  HBSC Survey and Growing Up in Ireland – the National Longitudinal Study  Maximisation of existing data sources  Inclusion of markers, e.g. disability and ethnicity in surveys  Development of new data sources, e.g.:  Surveillance of Obesity of Irish Children  Quality of ECCE and pets and animals data  Children’s Data Strategy  State of the Nations Children Reports

REPORTING ON CHILD WELL-BEING Considerations  Indicators need to be available over time  International comparisons are needed  Information on subgroups is needed

REPORTING ON CHILD WELL-BEING Indicators need to be available over time E.g. Decrease in infant mortality rate: 3.7 per 1,000 in per 1,000 in 2002

REPORTING ON CHILD WELL-BEING Indicators need to be available over time Challenges:  E.g. Health Behaviour of School-Going Children data collected on four-yearly interval State of the Nations Children Report (2006)

REPORTING ON CHILD WELL-BEING International comparisons are needed E.g.: infant mortality rate: Ireland: 3.7 per 1,000 in per 1,000 in 2002 Sweden and Finland: 2.8 per 1,000 in 2006

REPORTING ON CHILD WELL-BEING International comparisons are needed Challenges:  Variation in socio-demographic variables used across countries  Variation in definitions used across countries  e.g. in Ireland the first trimester of pregnancy is defined as up to 12 weeks under the National Perinatal Reporting System, while the World Health Organisation defines the first trimester as up to 14 weeks.  Variation in data quality and timeliness across countries

E.g. Breastfeeding levels across mother’s occupation REPORTING ON CHILD WELL-BEING Information on sub-groups is needed

Challenges:   Not all data is capable of dissagregration by   Age, Sex, social class, geographic location, or other important variables (e.g. Traveller Children, Non-Irish National Children, Asylum Seeking Children etc)   Not all data sources have national coverage   e.g. National Physical and Sensory Disability Database has 70 per cent coverage   Variations in geographic variables used across data sources   e.g. Health Board Region, NUTS Regions, Local Authority Areas

Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Department of Health and Children Hawkins House Dublin 2, Ireland Tel: