Ombudsman for Children’s Office: Request for Tenders
Request for Tenders for the provision of Research on the Rights of LGBTQ+ Children and Young People in Ireland for the Ombudsman for Children’s Office
The Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) is an independent statutory body, which was established in 2004 under primary legislation, the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 (the 2002 Act). The Ombudsman for Children has two overall statutory functions:
- to deal with complaints made by or for children and young people about the administrative actions of public bodies that have or may have adversely affected a child
- to promote the rights and welfare of children and young people under 18 years of age living in Ireland.
One of the seven goals in the OCO strategy for 2025 to 2027 is to build knowledge and generate research on current and emerging issues that affect children, particularly vulnerable groups, informed by the voice of children.
LGBTQI+ children are especially vulnerable to human rights violations and are often victims of discrimination, bullying and violence. Our 2022 report, Pieces of Us, includes the voices of LGBTQI+ children and young people as part of a broader consultation with children on their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This report highlights some of the issues faced by LGBTQI+ children in Ireland including mental health difficulties, isolation, and poor well-being.
The OCO is now tendering for research which aims to provide a holistic understanding of the needs, challenges, and perspectives of LGBTI+ children and young people, and to inform policy and practice to improve their access to rights, including for example access to education and healthcare, equality and discrimination, community and leisure, respect for their voice and special protections. In doing so, it seeks to ascertain how their rights, as set out in UNCRC, are upheld in Ireland. The research aims to give voice to their experiences, as well as providing evidence to promote their rights and support the development of policies and services.
The research required is:
- qualitative or mixed methods research with LGBTQI+ children and young people on their rights and experiences of growing up in Ireland, and
- a desk-based review of relevant developments in legislation, public policy, services and practice in Ireland from a rights-based perspective and informed by the voices of children.
The overall research questions that the research will address are:
- What are the experiences of LGBTQI+ children and young people growing up in Ireland?
- How are their rights, provided for under the UNCRC, enjoyed in Ireland?
- How well do current policies, laws and services uphold their rights under the UNCRC?
- Where gaps are evident, what measures are required to address these barriers appropriately and effectively?
- What areas of policy, law and practice is Ireland performing well in and what can other European countries learn from the Irish experience?
The OCO expects that the report arising from this research will provide a clear, authoritative overview of and insight into the experiences of LGBTQI+ children.
Full details of the research project, including the full research rationale, requirements of the research, experience required, and all other requirements can be found in the tender documentation on eTenders at – https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/listContractDocuments.do?resourceId=5722670.
The Tender deadline is 14:00 on the 30 June 2025.