Policy and influencing in Northern Ireland

To change lives, we need to change laws

We campaign to raise public awareness of the issues affecting children and young people in Northern Ireland and we influence government using our service experience and evidence-based research to make change happen.

Our campaigns and influencing are currently focused on:

• The Independent Review of Children's Social Care Services
• Children and families living in, or at risk of, poverty
• Children and young people experiencing homelessness and housing stress
• Support for refugee children
• Early childhood intervention
• Ending violence against women and girls

Our recent influencing work in Northern Ireland

• Barnardo's Northern Ireland engaged with the Independent Review of Children’s Services in Northern Ireland throughout 2022 and 2023. We submitted a Summary Report to the Review which highlighted findings from research with Barnardo’s NI staff, children, young people, parents, and carers – many of our key issues were reflected in the recommendations published by the Review in June 2023.
• We joined Save the Children and the Children's Law Centre to issue a joint statement in support of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to issue a legal challenge against the Illegal Migration Act 2023. 
• We launched a manifesto ahead of the local government elections in May 2023 which called for action to address the persistent issues and new challenges facing children and young people as they grow up today.
• Barnardo's Northern Ireland was closely involved in the Co-Design Group for the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Framework and Action Plan, which was published in September 2024.
• As part of our work to eradicate child poverty, Barnardo's NI chaired the newly formed Anti-Poverty Strategy Group, made up of former members of the Anti-Poverty Co-Design Group to continue working together to influence the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy and continue to press for publication of the draft strategy.
• In response to the release of the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy, the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group published our revised recommendations paper to outline what is needed for an effective strategy, including clear, timebound targets, a life-cycle, a human rights-based approach, new actions, and clear funding commitments.

Our key achievements in 2024-25

• As part of THRiVE - a multi-agency group working together to drive forward a collective vision for children, young people and families in the Newtownabbey area - we organised a two-day conference in June 2024 for thought leaders, practitioners, policy makers, and academics to consider how individuals, organisations, and systems can better collaborate to improve the lives and outcomes of children, young people, and their wider communities.
• We worked closely with Action for Children and the Department of Education to develop a digital awareness package for all Northern Ireland schools about young carers. The purpose of the project was to increase awareness of young carers in schools, and to highlight the availability of referral mechanisms into young carer services.
• As part of our ongoing engagement on the Anti-Poverty Strategy, Barnardo's NI partnered with key anti-poverty organisations, such as the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group, Trussell, the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network, Women’s Support Network, and Save the Children to host over 150 people at the Rising Together Against Poverty conference to ensure that the voices of those most affected by poverty are placed at the heart of decision making.
• We empowered a group of young people supported by our Barnardo’s NI Young Carers Service to develop a 'Caring for Equality' event, sharing their personal experiences and called for greater recognition and support for young carers, urging government to listen and act. You can read more about their work and 3 Key Asks in our report, 'Caring for Equality'.​​​