Children and Families

Government policy has focussed significantly on children and young people over the past number of years. The need to invest in the young citizens of the future in the context of a post-conflict Northern Ireland, has been acknowledged. An important development has been the appointment of a Children’s Commissioner and work is ongoing in relation to a comprehensive, cross-cutting children’s strategy.

The Trust acknowledges that the future strategic context for the delivery of services to children and families will be determined by the proposed strategy but would endorse the following priorities. .

• To improve residential child care.

• To develop a specialist regional unit for children with social, emotional or psychological difficulties.

• To improve the academic achievements of children in the care system.

• To recruit and retain appropriately skilled staff for children’s residential care.

• To maintain and develop the existing range of foster care services, including support and training for family and friends involved in foster caring.

• To expand the number of foster care places and to build an infrastructure for the support and training of foster carers in line with the UK National Standards.

• To implement the legislation aimed at securing better leaving care and after care services for young care leavers in conjunction with the ‘Supporting People’ agenda.

• To develop regional and partnership approaches to the recruitment and preparation of prospective adopters.

• To ensure that there is adequate support in place for children who have been adopted, adoptive parents and birth parents.

• To extend the Sure Start programme and other family support services aimed at strengthening parenting skills.