A Profile of the City
Pure Cork - An Action Plan For The City
Cork City has a diverse mix of nationalities with 13% (14,611 people) of the total population in 2011 being non - Irish nationals. Nearly 25% of this cohort are Polish, 30% are ‘Rest of the World’ nationalities, 29% are other EU states. Lone Parent families accounted for 24% of the families living in the City, significantly higher than the State average of 18%. In December 2013, there were 682 Asylum seekers in the five Direct Provision Accommod- ation Centres in the county of Cork. The two centres within or adjoining the city (Glenvera, Wellington Road and the Kinsale Road Centre) have the highest number of residents (357 persons). There are an estimated 12,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people living in Cork City (10% of the total population), with an absence of research relating to the size and nature of the Transgender community. The Trutz-Haase Deprivation Index for Cork City shows the four designated RAPID Areas suffer disproportionately from deprivation, as well as other pockets generally in close proximity. Over one quarter (29%) of the 519 small areas making up Cork City are defined as being disadvantaged or very disadvantaged. The four designated RAPID areas in the city have deprivation index scores of between -13.2 and -16.6, significantly lower than both the city (-1.9) and the State average (+0.24).
The DCYA’s Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures (2014) elaborates the key government priorities for children and young people and the vision that Ireland will become one of the best small countries in the world in which to grow up and raise a family. Local Authority involvement is envisaged in many of the proposed actions, including the central involvement of the Children and Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC) and Local Community Development Committees (LCDC). Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC) are a key structure identified by Government to plan and co- ordinate services for children and young people in every county in Ireland. The overall purpose is to improve outcomes for children and young people through local and national inter-agency working. Comhairle na nÓg are child and youth councils in all Local Authorities of the country designed to enable young people (under the age of 18 years) to have a voice on the delivery of local services, policies and issues that affect them in their local area. Cork Children and Young People’s Services Committee (Cork CYPSC) is newly established and tasked with delivering a three year Children and Young People’s Plan. Work is currently under way to gather and collate data, carry out an audit of service provision and complete a local needs analysis. Cork City Comhairle na nÓg recently completed an information website aimed at making an impact in the current youth employment situation and improving youth employment prospects and services for young people in Cork City. Other recent projects include ‘What Can I Do?’ a video exploring
children’s rights in Ireland ‘The Missing Link’ event highlighting the connection between mental health and drugs. Easy access to books and other reading materials at an early age gives children a solid foundation for educational advancement and creative expression.
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Children and Young People
“The summers were long and hot, as all childhood summers were, and, in winter, sometimes we had snow. We grew up, though, strangely few grew out, for many of my generation have stayed on in the place that shaped and sometimes even nurtured them. I still love Cork. There I
Children and Young People - Stats and Facts
BOYS AND GIRLS (AGED 5-8 YRS) LIVING IN CORK CITY, SPEND 18% OF THEIR TIME PLAYING, WITH OVER HALF PLAYING OUTSIDE AFTER SCHOOL. In 2011, over 19% of Cork City’s total population were aged 0-18 years with 5% aged 0-4 years, 8% aged 5-12 years and 7% aged 13-18 years. The Youth Dependency Ratio of Cork City (21%) is relatively low compared to the State average (32%). However there are notable variations within the city with higher levels in the four RAPID designated areas. At 3.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, infant mortality rates in the city are higher than the rates for Cork County (3.3) but on a par with the State (3.4). Between 2006 and 2011, the percentage of the population aged 15 or older that were classified as ‘unemployed or looking for their first regular job’ grew from 6.3% to 12.1%. According to the 2007 Children’s Occupation Study of Children in Cork City, boys and girls aged 5 to 8 spent 18% of their time during the week on play, with 55% routinely playing outside after school. At weekends significantly more boys than girls engaged in extra physical activities (e.g. soccer and cycling).
belong and there I am secure.” A Cork Girlhood’ in The Cork Anthology (Ed. Dunne), P117
Children and Young People - Policy
Healthy Ireland: A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025 - Department of Health (2013) identifies investment in early intervention initiatives aimed at children and their families as one of the key responses needed to achieve the objectives of Healthy Ireland. Healthy Ireland recognises that early intervention provides a greater rate of return than later intervention in terms of tackling inequality, reducing educational disadvantage and improving child development. Healthy Ireland also makes a series of recommend- ations specifically concerning children and young people, while establishing a number of related key performance indicators relating to infant mortality, weight, smoking, alcohol, health status, early school leaving, and prevention control and surveillance of infectious diseases.
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