<p>
	&nbsp;</p>
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	THE GOVERNMENT HAS been given a &lsquo;C Grade&rsquo; in the Children&rsquo;s Rights Alliance&rsquo;s report card for 2013 &ndash; a slight drop from its C+ last year.</p>
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	The Children&rsquo;s Rights Alliance commented:</p>
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	<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">
		In a year that saw a Children&rsquo;s Rights Referendum and key work in overhauling the child protection system, the grade will disappoint many.</div>
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	This year, their annual report card scrutinises the Government on its promises to children that were made in the Programme for Government 2011-2016.</p>
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	<strong>Top of the class</strong></p>
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	The Department of Children and Youth Affairs, under the direction of Minister Frances Fitzgerald, gained an A grade for strengthening children&rsquo;s constitutional rights and an overall B- grade for steps to better protect children from abuse and neglect.</p>
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	An additional win is a B+ grade for the promised closure of St Patrick&rsquo;s Institution &ndash; up from an F grade last year.</p>
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	Minister Ruairi Quinn and the Department of Education and Skills both receive an overall B- grade for solid progress, particularly in literacy, patronage and school buildings, said the Alliance.</p>
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	<strong>Fail</strong></p>
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	The report card puts the Department of Social Protection at the &lsquo;bottom of the class&rsquo;, giving it an F grade &ndash; a fail&ndash; for child poverty.</p>
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	The Department of Health received an overall D grade for its work in Health, with the Alliance saying there is an under-spend in Mental Health, inaction on alcohol misuse and delays in Primary Care and the Children&rsquo;s Hospital.</p>
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	<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">
		Overall, Government has failed to support migrant or Traveller children or to address family inequalities, resulting in an overall E+ grade.</div>
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	<strong>Mixed bag</strong></p>
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	Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children&rsquo;s Rights Alliance, said:</p>
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	<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">
		Report Card 2013 is a mixed bag. Overall, Government has done worse this year, slipping down to a C grade, despite getting an A grade for the excellent work in strengthening children&rsquo;s rights in the Constitution. There is also real progress in child protection, ending the detention of children in St Patrick&rsquo;s Prison and in education. But children are the real losers in Budget 2013 with cuts to Child Benefit not being reinvested in children&rsquo;s services and controversies and underspend in health leading to major delays in health reform.</div>
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	Ward said that implementation of mental health policy requires immediate redress, and the under-spend in funds needs to be addressed.</p>
<p style="margin: 15px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 23.390625px;">
	The full report will be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/childrens-alliance-report-card-799164-Feb2013/www.childrensrights.ie" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: initial; color: rgb(0, 106, 160);">available on the Alliance website</a>&nbsp;today.<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/childrens-alliance-report-card-799164-Feb2013/">http://www.thejournal.ie/childrens-alliance-report-card-799164-Feb2013/</a></p>
