In January 2020, the Department of Social Protection published the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025.  This whole-of-government strategy aims to “set Ireland on a course for real change and delivery” in improving quality of life and reducing inequality. The strategy includes commitments specific to young people through its goal to ‘support families and reduce child poverty.’ The Department of Social Protection is due to publish a successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 on 27 May 2026.  

The Social inclusion unit within the Department of Education and Youth is responsible for developing and promoting a co-ordinated department response specific to tackling educational disadvantage. Responsibility for Youth Work also currently sits within the Department of Education and Youth and plays a major role in inclusion policy. UBU – Your Place Your Space funds the national provision of youth work and is designed to provide out-of-school, community-based youth services. It targets vulnerable or marginalised young people aged 10–24, offering supports to improve health, wellbeing, education, and social connectivity. It aims to help young people reach their full potential. 

Other policy frameworks developed by the Department of Education and Youth are; 

 Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028 

The Department of children, disability and equality have remit for developing policy frameworks such as  Young Ireland: National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2023-2028. This policy framework was written using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as a guide and serves to ensure children and young people’s rights are a primary consideration whenever policymakers, professionals and others make decisions which affect children and young people.  

Other policy frameworks developed by the Department of Children, disability and equality are; 

The National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028  

The National Strategy for Women and girls 2025-2030 

The National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028;  

The Participation of Children and Young People in Decision-making: Action Plan 2024-2028

The Roadmap for Social Inclusion (2020-2025) is a national strategy that aims to reduce the number of people in poverty in Ireland and increase the social inclusion of marginalised people.  

The strategy aimed to reduce consistent poverty rate to 2% or less and to position Ireland withing the top five EU countries leading on social inclusion. The roadmap sets out 7 high-level goals, 22 specific target and an initial 66 commitments which later expanded to 81). The roadmap spans focus on employment; income supports childcare disability housing health and community participation. It targets older people, people outside of employment, workers, families and children in poverty, people with disabilities and communities. Progress on the Roadmap and its commitments have been reported in annual Progress Reports and Report Cards. 

By the end of 2025, the Department of Social Protection reported that 59 of 81 commitments were completed or operating on an ongoing basis and that 22 commitments remain in progress. Ireland reached an all-time low of 3.6% poverty rate in 2023, but the rate rose again nun 2024.