 Pictured at the launch of the Children's Independent Mobility report were Sean McMahon, President of the INTO; Prof. Michael A Hayes, President of MIC; Alanna O’Beirne, MIC, co-author of the report; Minister for Education & Skills, Jan O'Sullivan, T.D.; Ellana-Mei Price, St. Joseph's Secondary School, Tulla and Dr. Brendan O'Keeffe, MIC, co-author of the report. |  Dr. Brendan O'Keeffe, MIC; Ben Kazadi (age 12), Daniel Colbert (age 11), Dominic Kelly (age 11) and Thomas Byrnes (age 12) all from Scoil Mháthair Dé, SCR, Limerick and Alanna O'Beirne, MIC. This report, written by Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe and Alanna O’Beirne, is the first Irish study ever to be undertaken to assess the level of freedom children have to make journeys on their own. |
The first national study focussing on Children’s Mobility in Ireland, undertaken by Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe and Alanna O’Beirne, Mary Immaculate College (MIC) was officially launched today, Friday 6th March by the Minister for Education & Skills, Jan O’Sullivan T.D.
Entitled ‘Children’s Independent Mobility on the Island of Ireland’, this is the first Irish study ever to be undertaken to assess the level of freedom children have to make journeys on their own – their mobility licence.
The study forms part of an international research initiative across sixteen countries, with MIC being selected to undertake the research for Ireland, and all efforts being co-ordinated by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), in London. Children and parents from twenty-five schools across the whole of Ireland participated in the study with a total of 2,228 children and young people, between the ages of seven and fifteen, completed a survey questionnaire that explored their travel patterns and levels of personal autonomy. In addition, 1,695 of their parents or guardians completed an accompanying questionnaire about similar issues. Range of topics covered included how the children travelled to and from school; weekend activities; children’s and adults’ perceptions of place and any (actual and potential) barriers to their independent mobility; parents’ perceptions of societal factors and how communities may either enable or prevent children from being mobile and children’s access to play spaces.
When collated, the international data show the island of Ireland comes in twelfth place, among the sixteen locations involved in the study with only 37% children being allowed to travel home from school alone as opposed to 90% in Finland (the highest ranking country); 19% of those surveyed were permitted to travel on local buses alone in comparisons to 65% in other countries.
The findings show that while mobility levels have generally declined, such decline is not an inevitable consequence of modernisation or urbanisation, as several societies have ensured that children’s rights are respected, and they have provided environments and conditions that are family-friendly and child-centred. However here in Ireland the study reveals many inter-generational changes and it records a marked decline in Children’s Independent Mobility on several scales. Over 60 per cent of parents report that, as children, they walked to school whilst today only 13 per cent of second-level students and 22 per cent of primary children indicate that they walk to school.
Launching the report Minister for Education & Skills, Jan O’Sullivan T.D. said;“Reading this report, I have been struck by its relevance to a number of policy areas, not least education. The research findings have implications for our schools, local authorities, communities and for public service providers generally. I warmly welcome the report and I congratulate its authors and Mary Immaculate College for undertaking this research”.
Continuing she said “This report is indicative of the high-quality research output with which Mary Immaculate College has become synonymous. It provides useful data in several areas, and my colleagues, officials and other branches of government will closely examine its implications and recommendations”.
“Following on this report, I expect that the issue of Independent Mobility will be incorporated more fully into our efforts to make Ireland a more child-friendly society, and as this report articulates, schools and education are at the heart of strategies and actions to enable children and young people to be more confident, happy, safe and active”.
The Minister informed all present that the Government were currently reviewing and updating the National Children’s Strategy and that the findings from this research would certainly feed into their deliberations. “There is no doubt that this report will make a positive contribution to discussions around the progressing of child-friendly development plans. It is important that public bodies and local authorities in particular consider both the views of children – as appropriate - as well as their best interests when making decisions relating to planning and development” she said. (Click here to view full copy of the Minister’s speech).
Commenting on the report the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, and the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma jointly said; “The findings in this report demonstrate that the environmental conditions and infrastructure provision on the island of Ireland require upgrading and restructuring in order to become more child friendly. We talk a lot about the importance of facilities for children but in reality this is one of the areas of children’s lives in which there has been a particular information deficit. It is always a positive thing to have more data on a topic particularly when such data reveals that public bodies are falling short in ensuring that public spaces are child friendly. Children and young people are in turn disempowered in respect of trying to engage in activities that they have been informed are beneficial for their health and well-being”.
Also speaking at the launch was Prof. Michael A Hayes, President of MIC, who congratulated the authors, Dr. O’Keeffe and Alanna O’Beirne saying; “This College is at the forefront of cutting-edge research on education and child development. We have among the most accomplished academics and researchers in Ireland, if not in Europe. The authors of this report have stretched the boundaries of their own disciplines [Geography and Health Promotion] and the contents of this report represent valuable contributions to the fields of education, sociology, political science, engineering and community development among many others”.
Continuing he said “This multi-disciplinary report provides further evidence of the research excellence with which Mary Immaculate College is associated. We may be a small institution, but we are punching above our weight in terms of our ability to produce high-quality research that makes outstanding and valuable contributions to Irish society in many fields”. (Click here to view full copy of President’s speech).
The report includes a number of key recommendations such as a rights-based approach that puts the child at the centre of decision-making processes, and empowers children to have a meaningful say in shaping the environments in which they live, study, play and move about; Child-Proofing and Gender-Proofing of County and City Development Plans. It also recommends that the targets contained in the report be incorporated into the revised National Children’s Strategy. According to Prof. Hayes “the report’s recommendations and implications reach far beyond what are obviously geography or health promotion. The report is immediately relevant to all professionals working with children, and those who have an interest in child welfare and wellbeing”.
Commenting on the report co-author Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe said; “While there is undoubtedly a downward trend, and children on this island are less mobile and less active than are their peers in most other European countries, it is clear from our research that our children want to see change. They do not want to be couch potatoes or wrapped-up in cotton wool. They want to exercise their independence with responsibility. Thus, it behoves public bodies and communities to create the environments and provide the infrastructure and services that enable children to get out and about, safely, securely and happily”.
Echoing these sentiments co-author Alanna O’Beirne said “When it comes to promoting Children’s Independent Mobility, we need to talk to and listen to the experts. Those experts are our children. We should not second guess what their needs are, but act from their perspective”.
Full copy of the Children’s Independent Mobility report may be viewed here.
Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe is a lecturer in the Department of Geography, Mary Immaculate College. His specialist areas include community development and spatial planning, and he has brought his knowledge of these environmental and contextual issues to bear on the study of child mobility.
Alanna O’Beirne is a Health Promotion Officer for Primary Schools working in partnership with the Curriculum Development Unit of Mary Immaculate College and the Health Service Executive. Her areas of expertise relate to health education and health promotion, most specifically with school communities.
Entitled ‘Children’s Independent Mobility on the Island of Ireland’, this is the first Irish study ever to be undertaken to assess the level of freedom children have to make journeys on their own – their mobility licence.
The study forms part of an international research initiative across sixteen countries, with MIC being selected to undertake the research for Ireland, and all efforts being co-ordinated by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), in London. Children and parents from twenty-five schools across the whole of Ireland participated in the study with a total of 2,228 children and young people, between the ages of seven and fifteen, completed a survey questionnaire that explored their travel patterns and levels of personal autonomy. In addition, 1,695 of their parents or guardians completed an accompanying questionnaire about similar issues. Range of topics covered included how the children travelled to and from school; weekend activities; children’s and adults’ perceptions of place and any (actual and potential) barriers to their independent mobility; parents’ perceptions of societal factors and how communities may either enable or prevent children from being mobile and children’s access to play spaces.
When collated, the international data show the island of Ireland comes in twelfth place, among the sixteen locations involved in the study with only 37% children being allowed to travel home from school alone as opposed to 90% in Finland (the highest ranking country); 19% of those surveyed were permitted to travel on local buses alone in comparisons to 65% in other countries.
The findings show that while mobility levels have generally declined, such decline is not an inevitable consequence of modernisation or urbanisation, as several societies have ensured that children’s rights are respected, and they have provided environments and conditions that are family-friendly and child-centred. However here in Ireland the study reveals many inter-generational changes and it records a marked decline in Children’s Independent Mobility on several scales. Over 60 per cent of parents report that, as children, they walked to school whilst today only 13 per cent of second-level students and 22 per cent of primary children indicate that they walk to school.
Launching the report Minister for Education & Skills, Jan O’Sullivan T.D. said;“Reading this report, I have been struck by its relevance to a number of policy areas, not least education. The research findings have implications for our schools, local authorities, communities and for public service providers generally. I warmly welcome the report and I congratulate its authors and Mary Immaculate College for undertaking this research”.
Continuing she said “This report is indicative of the high-quality research output with which Mary Immaculate College has become synonymous. It provides useful data in several areas, and my colleagues, officials and other branches of government will closely examine its implications and recommendations”.
“Following on this report, I expect that the issue of Independent Mobility will be incorporated more fully into our efforts to make Ireland a more child-friendly society, and as this report articulates, schools and education are at the heart of strategies and actions to enable children and young people to be more confident, happy, safe and active”.
The Minister informed all present that the Government were currently reviewing and updating the National Children’s Strategy and that the findings from this research would certainly feed into their deliberations. “There is no doubt that this report will make a positive contribution to discussions around the progressing of child-friendly development plans. It is important that public bodies and local authorities in particular consider both the views of children – as appropriate - as well as their best interests when making decisions relating to planning and development” she said. (Click here to view full copy of the Minister’s speech).
Commenting on the report the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, and the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma jointly said; “The findings in this report demonstrate that the environmental conditions and infrastructure provision on the island of Ireland require upgrading and restructuring in order to become more child friendly. We talk a lot about the importance of facilities for children but in reality this is one of the areas of children’s lives in which there has been a particular information deficit. It is always a positive thing to have more data on a topic particularly when such data reveals that public bodies are falling short in ensuring that public spaces are child friendly. Children and young people are in turn disempowered in respect of trying to engage in activities that they have been informed are beneficial for their health and well-being”.
Also speaking at the launch was Prof. Michael A Hayes, President of MIC, who congratulated the authors, Dr. O’Keeffe and Alanna O’Beirne saying; “This College is at the forefront of cutting-edge research on education and child development. We have among the most accomplished academics and researchers in Ireland, if not in Europe. The authors of this report have stretched the boundaries of their own disciplines [Geography and Health Promotion] and the contents of this report represent valuable contributions to the fields of education, sociology, political science, engineering and community development among many others”.
Continuing he said “This multi-disciplinary report provides further evidence of the research excellence with which Mary Immaculate College is associated. We may be a small institution, but we are punching above our weight in terms of our ability to produce high-quality research that makes outstanding and valuable contributions to Irish society in many fields”. (Click here to view full copy of President’s speech).
The report includes a number of key recommendations such as a rights-based approach that puts the child at the centre of decision-making processes, and empowers children to have a meaningful say in shaping the environments in which they live, study, play and move about; Child-Proofing and Gender-Proofing of County and City Development Plans. It also recommends that the targets contained in the report be incorporated into the revised National Children’s Strategy. According to Prof. Hayes “the report’s recommendations and implications reach far beyond what are obviously geography or health promotion. The report is immediately relevant to all professionals working with children, and those who have an interest in child welfare and wellbeing”.
Commenting on the report co-author Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe said; “While there is undoubtedly a downward trend, and children on this island are less mobile and less active than are their peers in most other European countries, it is clear from our research that our children want to see change. They do not want to be couch potatoes or wrapped-up in cotton wool. They want to exercise their independence with responsibility. Thus, it behoves public bodies and communities to create the environments and provide the infrastructure and services that enable children to get out and about, safely, securely and happily”.
Echoing these sentiments co-author Alanna O’Beirne said “When it comes to promoting Children’s Independent Mobility, we need to talk to and listen to the experts. Those experts are our children. We should not second guess what their needs are, but act from their perspective”.
Full copy of the Children’s Independent Mobility report may be viewed here.
Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe is a lecturer in the Department of Geography, Mary Immaculate College. His specialist areas include community development and spatial planning, and he has brought his knowledge of these environmental and contextual issues to bear on the study of child mobility.
Alanna O’Beirne is a Health Promotion Officer for Primary Schools working in partnership with the Curriculum Development Unit of Mary Immaculate College and the Health Service Executive. Her areas of expertise relate to health education and health promotion, most specifically with school communities.