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Rights-based approach to advice

The Policy team in the Ombudsman for Children’s Office promotes the rights and welfare of all children in Ireland in different ways, including by looking at laws and policies affecting children to make sure that they respect and protect children’s rights.

Examples of our rights-based approach are:

  • We compare draft laws and policies affecting children to international and European agreements that Ireland has signed up to, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and give advice to the Government about changes that should be made.
  • We check whether laws and policies are being implemented in a way that meets the children’s rights standards that are in place.
  • We go to Oireachtas Committee meetings to speak about the effect, or possible effect, of laws and policies on children and share our recommendations.
  • We meet with politicians and policy-makers to talk about issues affecting children and their rights.
  • We encourage public bodies, schools and voluntary hospitals to develop policies that promote the rights and welfare of children.

You can find all of our policy work in our online library.

Resources on rights-based approach to advice:

In 2025, the Policy team put together three briefing papers on children’s rights, which can be accessed here: ‘Children’s Rights Briefing Papers for Legislators, Civil and Public Servants’.

These materials are intended to be accessible for anyone looking to strengthen their understanding of children’s rights. The papers highlight Ireland’s obligations around the UNCRC, as well as the importance of recognising children as individual rights holders, with interdependent, indivisible rights.

The papers are intended to provide standardised guidance to anyone working with children or whose work may affect children, to promote the consideration of children’s rights in public decision-making and in the development of legislation and public policy that may affect children.

Working with others to create child-centred policies

We work with organisations, policy-makers and others whose work impacts on children to promote and support the development of a child-centred and rights-respecting approach to their policies and practices.

Working with our YAP to develop youth-led policies

The OCO’s Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) is integral to the work of the Policy unit. Facilitated by the P+RE team, the YAP provides critical insights and lived experiences that can directly inform assessments of government policies and strategies and shape our submissions on them. For example, our submission on the Regulation of Online Platforms (2026) and our submission to the Conversation on Education (2026) both contain dedicated sections on the views of our YAP, which are also embedded throughout the overall submissions.