Growing Up in Ireland is a government study. It is funded by the Department Children and Youth Affairs in association with the Department of Social Protection and the Central Statistics Office. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is overseeing and managing the Study, which is being carried out by a consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and Trinity College Dublin. Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study of children. It follows the development of almost 20,000 children.  It is made up of an infant cohort of over 11,000 children and their families who were first interviewed when these children were nine months old, with a follow-up interview at three years of age. Planning is currently underway for a third interview with these children and their families next year, when the children will be five years of age. In addition, the study includes a cohort of 8,500 older children who were recruited into the study when they were nine years old and re-interviewed at 13 years of age.


The conference will be opened by Ms Frances Fitzgerald T.D., Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, who will launch the latest in a series of Growing Up in Ireland Key Findings. These will be based on data collected from 13 years olds and their families between August 2011 and March 2012. For further information Click here