Articles of Interest July 2012

There have been numerous articles in the press recently on topics relating to children and the early childcare and education sector, such as:

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One in five parents do not read to their children, according to a new survey

A new survey has revealed that almost one in five parents do not read to their children.The survey was conducted by Amárach Research for Eason booksellers with a sample of 1,000 people over the age of 16.

The survey found four in five Irish people were encouraged to read by their own parents, and almost seven out of ten were read to as a child. But 18% of parents surveyed admitted to never reading to their children.

 
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An Taoiseach Launches National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D. launched the National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children of the HSE Children and Family Services on Wednesday the 25th of July. The Standards are based on the HSE’s responsibilities as set out in Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children and were developed by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and approved by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald T.D.

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Burton: Change to child benefit ‘would take time’

Proposals to tax child benefit will not be implemented in the upcoming Budget, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has said.

Minister Burton said that it could take several years before the Government can introduce a tax on children’s allowance payments for people who earn more than €100,000.

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Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD publishes Final Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald TD, published the Final Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency on July 20th. The Minister described it as the foundation for a “revolution in child protection and family services” and stated that : “the new agency will bring a dedicated focus to child protection and family support for the first time in the history of the State”.

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Council urges reform of immigration rules

Immigrant children face serious challenges which could impact on their entire lives due to the failure of the education and immigration systems to keep pace with the needs of this growing group, according to the Immigrant Council of Ireland.

The council published recommendations on improving the situation of young immigrants. They are included in its submission to a public consultation by the Department of Children on the issue. One in seven children now comes from a migrant background, according to Brian Killoran, information and referral service co-ordinator with the council.

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Stay at home mothers ‘more unhappy than those who work’

Stay at home mothers are more likely to be unhappy than those who go out to work, according to new research. Women who believe in “intensive parenting” are at risk of a range of mental illnesses including depression. Almost one in four had symptoms of depression and these negative mental health outcomes were accounted for by their endorsement of intensive parenting attitudes.

Earlier this year a study of more than 60,000 US mothers found 41 percent of those not in work experienced worry compared to 34 per cent of those employed.And 28 per cent suffered depression, eleven per cent more than the others. Psychlogists fear the phenomenon is linked with feelings of isolation and a lack of fulfillment.