ESRI research in Children and Young people examines developmental outcomes for children and young people in Ireland, how these vary between different groups of the population and evolve over time.

Research in the area of Children and Young people is closely tied with the Growing Up in Ireland project – the national longitudinal study of children, which is being carried out on behalf of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs by a team of researchers led by the ESRI and Trinity College.

Current research is focused on the main domains in a child’s life including

• Physical health and wellbeing
• Educational and Cognitive outcomes
• Socio-Emotional and Behavioural development

As more data come online from phase two of the project, an increasing focus on developmental trajectories or growth paths among children and young people will be possible. This allows analysts to investigate, in particular, how early-life experiences impact on later outcomes.