Human Rights and Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups in Health and Well-Being Policy Documents Relevant to Children and Young People in Ireland

Children and young people constitute a structurally vulnerable group who often experience specific barriers when trying to exercise their rights, including the right to health. The aim of this study was to examine core concepts of human rights and inclusion of vulnerable groups in a sample of national health and well-being policy documents relevant to children and young people in Ireland. Using EquiFrame, a validated policy content analysis tool, 3 policy documents were analysed in relation to their commitment to 21 core concepts of human rights and inclusion of 13 vulnerable groups. The Overall Summary Ranking of each policy varied: 'Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures'-Moderate, 'Sláintecare'-Moderate, and the 'Wellbeing Policy Statement'-Low. Across all three documents, Core Concept Coverage was high while Core Concept Quality was low. The findings demonstrate that these documents cover a wide range of human rights but fail to provide specific policy actions to address human rights or an intention to monitor human rights.