They renewed calls for a dedicated children's minister at the annual general meeting of Children in Northern Ireland, the umbrella body for the country's voluntary children's sector.
Patricia Lewsley, spokeswoman on children for the Social Democratic and Labour Party, said it was unrealistic to expect a minister to be appointed before the Assembly was reconvened, despite calls for the position first being made two years ago.
She said that in the worst-case scenario the Assembly could reconvene after May, when a UK General Election is widely expected to be held.
But she said the appointment was likely to meet resistance from local MPs who felt there were already too many ministers and that it was unlikely to happen without extensive lobbying.
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