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Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit

NSPCC Public Policy in Northern Ireland

 The Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit is one of over 20 services and projects operated by the NSPCC across the province.

Download the NSPCC Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit flyer (PDF, 282KB)

The work of our team includes:
 

• leading the NSPCC's interface with Northern Ireland (NI) government departments, building and maintaining key relationships with officials and providing responses to government consultations
  
  

• working in co-operation with statutory and voluntary organisations to improve links and facilitate better understanding between the two sectors. We have recently expanded our team through the Interchange Programme by creating a secondment opportunity for a member of staff from the Northern Ireland Civil Service
  
  
• actively promoting Northern Ireland policy input into local and national media activities and campaigns
  
  
• acting as a public affairs interface with elected representatives and political parties, through briefings to Northern Ireland MPs, Peers and MLAs.

Research

A dedicated research capacity enables us to carry out relevant, locally-based research on policy issues affecting children and young people to complement and assist in our influencing activities. Our Northern Ireland research agenda is guided by the NI Division Research Strategy 2006-08 and involves conducting, commissioning and facilitating relevant research.

Our completed research projects/publications include:

• Sexual and physical violence against children in Northern Ireland: a statistical overview of recorded crime 2008–10 (PDF, 393KB)
  Lisa Bunting (NSPCC, 2011)
  
  
• Child victims in contact with the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland (PDF, 357KB)
  Lisa Bunting (NSPCC, 2011)
  
  
• Separated children and child trafficking in Northern Ireland (PDF, 530KB)
  Mary Anne Webb and Kathleen Toner (Barnardo's and NSPCC, 2011)
  
  
• The experiences of young witnesses in criminal proceedings in Northern Ireland: a report for the Department of Justice (NI) (PDF).
  David Hayes, Lisa Bunting, Anne Lazenbatt, Nicola Carr and Joe Duffy (Department of Justice (NI), 2011)
  
  
• NSPCC Northern Ireland Policy and Practice Briefing 1: "Someone just for me..." Independent visitors: the benefits for looked after children and young people (PDF, 182 KB)
  Kathleen Toner with Desi O’Hagan, Cleeve Speers and Una Doherty (NSPCC, 2010).
  
  
• A manifesto on children’s issues in Northern Ireland (PDF, 5.64MB)
  NSPCC Northern Ireland and Barnardo's Northern Ireland, 2010.
  
  
• Sexual abuse and therapeutic services for children and young people in Northern Ireland: the gap between provision and need
  Lisa Bunting, Paulene Anderson and Debra Allnock (NSPCC, 2010).
  
  
• An evaluation of the case management review process in Northern Ireland
  Anne Lazenbatt, John Devaney and Lisa Bunting (Queen's Belfast University and NSPCC, 2009).
  
  
• Attitudes towards child protection in Northern Ireland: a survey by the four Area Child Protection Committees (ACPCs) and the NSPCC
  Regional Health and Social Care Board ACPCs and the NSPCC, 2009.
  
  
• Information sharing and reporting systems in the UK and Ireland: professional barriers to reporting child maltreatment conc erns
  Lisa Bunting, Anne Lazenbatt and Isla Wallace.
  Child Abuse Review [published online: 25 June 2009]
  Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/car.1076
  [NB: Early View: article online in advance of print]

• In two minds? Parental attitudes toward physical punishment in the UK
  Lisa Bunting, Mary Anne Webb and Julie Healy
  Children & Society [published online: 23 June 2009]
  Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2009.00245.x
  [NB: Early View: article online in advance of print]
  

• Key child protection statistics in Northern Ireland
  NSPCC Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit (June 2009)
  An overview of official Northern Ireland statistics on key areas of child protection.
  
  
• The ‘smacking debate’ in Northern Ireland: messages from research
  Lisa Bunting, Mary Anne Webb and Julie Healy
  Barnardo's Northern Ireland, NICCY and NSPCC Northern Ireland, 2008.
  
  
• Sexual offences against children: an exploration of attrition in the Northern Ireland criminal justice system.
  Lisa Bunting
  Child Abuse and Neglect. 32(12), 2008: 1109-18.
  Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.09.002
  
  
• An examination of local, national and international arrangements for the mandatory reporting of child abuse: the implications for Northern Ireland
  Isla Wallace and Lisa Bunting (NSPCC, 2007)
  
  
• Females who sexually offend against children: responses of the child protection and criminal justice systems
  Lisa Bunting (NSPCC, 2005).
  
  
• Reviewing child deaths: learning from the American experience
  Lisa Bunting and Colin Reid.
  Child Abuse Review. 14(2), 2005: 82-96.
  A review of the international literature on child deaths review teams and processes.
  
  
• Assessment of children in need in Northern Ireland (PDF, 215KB)
  Lisa Bunting (NSPCC, 2004).
  
  
• Parenting programmes: the best available evidence
  Lisa Bunting.
  Child Care in Practice. 10(4), 2004: 327-43.
  
  
• Child protection is no accident: views on current practice in Northern Ireland from senior medical and nursing staff in A&E (PDF, 404KB)
  NSPCC Northern Ireland and Barnardo's Northern Ireland, 2003.

Key areas in which we intend to develop future research include:

• The provision of therapeutic services for maltreated children in Northern Ireland - service mapping and evaluation.
  

Policy

The unit takes a lead role in public policy development with government departments, using research to ensure its advice is evidence-based.

Public affairs

The Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit promotes the external policies of the NSPCC and seeks to influence attitudes, legislation and policy development with elected representatives and the Government in ways that help end cruelty to children.

Recent work

• Vetting and safeguarding.  The unit has taken a lead role in advising Government on the legislation and policy relating to vetting. This includes the need to implement Part V of the Police Act 1997, as well as Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order 2003. We have also campaigned for cross-border improvements and advised government departments on safeguarding policies and procedures.
  
  
• Sexual offences legislation.  The unit has campaigned for a review of sexual offences legislation in Northern Ireland to bring us in line with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 covering England and Wales.
  
  
• Structural arrangements for child protection.  The team has been working on a range of initiatives including new child protection policies and legislation, improved arrangements for the management and assessment of sexual and violent offenders, and child death review arrangements.
  
  
• Physical punishment.  We have championed the need for legal reform in this area to give children equal protection from assault under the law.
  

Download the NSPCC Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit flyer (PDF, 282KB)

Please contact us if you require further information about the NSPCC Northern Ireland Policy and Research Unit.

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