The child health strategy, which The Children's Plan stated would be published in the spring, has now been put back to the autumn.
Hilary Samson-Barry, programme director for partnerships, children, families and maternity at the Department of Health, revealed the hold-up at 4Children's Creating Opportunities, Building Futures conference last week.
"The strategy will have an early autumn publication, but it will be delayed because there are a number of other things happening," she said. "There's the 60th anniversary of the NHS and health minister Lord Darzi is building a next stage review called Our NHS, Our Future."
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said the delay was a disappointment. "There's a real urgency about ensuring children are explicitly on the health agenda and demonstrating that the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) are working together, which the strategy will do," she said.
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