Terms of Reference of Bilateral Steering Group, December 2022

In April 2019, Government approved, in principle, the transfer of Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) to the Central Statistics Office by 2023.  Following this decision, a Memorandum of Understanding was agreed between the (then) Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Central Statistics Office in 2020, setting out the legal framework, transition arrangements for GUI over the period 2019 – 2022 and the governance framework for GUI (2023 onwards).  Following completion of the transition this MoU was revised and updated (at the end of 2022). The MoU articulates a distinction between the “GUI Survey”, which refers to the elements of GUI being undertaken by the CSO under the authority of the Statistics Act, 1993 and the “GUI Study” being undertaken by the DCEDIY. 

The MoU states that “a DCEDIY and CSO Bilateral Steering Group (SG) will be convened. The SG will drive the strategic direction of GUI and ensure its continued relevance to the policy remit of the Department”. The Bilateral SG is the key governance structure of Growing up in Ireland and supports the ongoing and close cooperation between the CSO and DCEDIY, reflecting the integrated and interdependent nature of Study and Survey.  The Terms of Reference of the SG were updated following the transition period to reflect the new MoU and the operationalisation of the new model of delivery for GUI.

Role, functions and composition of the Bilateral Steering Group

In line with the 2022 MoU, the functions of the Steering Group are to:

• Drive the strategic direction of GUI;
• Act as a liaison and information sharing forum;
• Agree annual work programmes for the three interconnected phases of GUI;
• Review progress of the three phases of GUI against agreed milestones;
• Convene sub-groups to support the work of GUI as required;
• Ensure ongoing coordination of the annual estimates approach in relation to GUI to ensure the continued sustainability of GUI.

The Department is responsible for progress in relation the Phase A and Phase C of GUI, and will deliver regular assessment of the research needs of the Survey, and will promote the use of GUI date to inform policy.

The CSO will undertake the GUI Survey (Phase B) within the framework of the Statistics Act, 1993 and is responsible for all decisions relating to the survey including:

• adherence to national and European Codes of Practice for official statistics;
• the development of the survey instrument(s);
• the design of a national survey that can, as far as possible, meet national user needs in this area while providing comparability at an international level;
• the conduct, including all methodological issues, of the survey;
• the preparation, including content and timing, of initial analysis (statistical releases and publications) and microdata.

The members of the Steering Group will comprise of senior management responsible for GUI in the Department and the CSO.

The Steering Group will meet regularly, and not less frequently than three times a year.  While the Department chaired the Steering Group during the transition phase (2020-2022), after the transition to group will be chaired on a rotating basis, alternating annually between the CSO and the DCEDIY.