The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will shortly be re-launching the Supporting Children campaign in light of intensified Covid-19 restrictions. 

Supporting Children is a campaign developed by DCEDIY to support vulnerable children, young people and their families in challenging times. It was first launched on 19 June 2020, highlighting the range of services and supports in place and the innovative responses this sector was making to meet the needs of vulnerable groups across a range of service areas, from Child Protection and Welfare to Education Support, Parenting and Family Support and others. 

The campaign is designed with two purposes. It encourages all of us to look out for vulnerable children whose lives and supports have been serverely disrupted during the current pandemic. It also spotlights our Supporting Children website, pointing to a wide range of information detailing supports for children, young people and families across six key areas. This information campaign has been updated based on service user feedback from the initial phase and to reflect the recently expanded DCEDIY. We are also working closely with Tusla to ensure the campaign information is presented in an accessible and useful format.

Supporting Children is funded under What Works (www.whatworks.gov.ie). The campaign recognises the serious impacts both the pandemic and associated restrictions are having on the most vulnerable in our society and aims to demonstrate and harness the available supports that are in place.   

As key contributors to the children and young people’s sector from a broad range of organisations, backgrounds and professsions, the Children’s Rights Alliance and all members within the Alliance would appreciate your assistance in ensuring that this message is disseminated and amplified as widely as possible. 

We would be grateful if you could highlight the Supporting Children campaign and promote the key messages through your own organisation, professional networks and communication channels. In this second Supporting Children campaign, and especially in the current climate, we would like to ensure maximum coverage and reach of this messaging so as to indicate that the collective system is attentive and responsive to the needs of children at this critical time. 

The relaunch of Supporting Children is scheduled for Wednesday 3 February and this campaign will be rolling out on radio, social media and through digital advertising thereafter.