The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) has published the world’s first national LGBTI+ Youth Strategy.¹ This follows on from a commitment in the 2016 Programme for Government to ‘develop an LGBT Youth Strategy that will encompass education, youth services, mental health and other issues’ (p. 106).² A key part of the process of developing the strategy was a DCYA-led consultation with young people from across Ireland, the findings of which have also been published.³

The Quality and Capacity Building Initiative (QCBI) of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) has been under development since 2016, with progress being made on implementing some key components over 2017/18. The QCBI aims to take a coordinated approach to enhancing capacity, knowledge and quality in prevention, and early intervention for children, young people and their families, with a focus on those at risk of developing poor outcomes. It aims to ensure that effective practice is harnessed and applied across the relevant services and supports. There are four key strands to the initiative that set out to embed and enhance prevention and early intervention in children and young people’s policy, service provision, and practice.

In September 2015, at an historic United Nations (UN) Summit, the 193 member countries of the UN adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.¹ Within that resolution, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 related targets were announced. The objectives of this agenda are to leave no one behind and to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle climate change. The 17 goals are a call to action aimed at all countries, poor, rich and middle-income, to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. Goal 3 calls for countries to ‘ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’. As one of the 13 related targets, it encourages action by countries to ‘strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol’.