ABSTRACT
In October 2003 Northern Ireland’s first Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) began work by announcing the commissioning of a major study to research the state of children’s rights, adequacy of provision for children and how rights and provision in Northern Ireland compared with other European jurisdictions. I was a member of a Queen’s University-based research team that conducted the research and took primary responsibility for the work on youth justice and policing also having an input on mental health. With Clare Dwyer I carried out the qualitative research. The Northern Ireland Prison Service refused me access to the Hydebank Wood Young Offenders’ Centre, although I gained access to young women in prison at the Mourne House Women’s Unit, Maghaberry Prison. Ciara Davey and Siobha´n McAlister took responsibility for much of the primary research in schools and with children experiencing particular vulnerability and disadvantage. The full report (Kilkelly et al. 2004) and a version for children (Haydon 2004) were published in 2004.
