Northern Ireland: Sector angered by slow progress on action plan

The strategy aims to apply a "whole child" approach to children and young people within an outcomes framework similar to that of Every Child Matters. It includes a focus on working in partnership and a shift to prevention and intervention.

A Children and Young People's Action Plan will be developed by a new Strategy Planning and Review Panel chaired by Northern Ireland children's minister Maria Eagle over the next few months. But the country's interim children's commissioner, Barney McNeany, exp- ressed disappointment that the action plan was not launched with the strategy.

Elaine McDuff, policy officer for Children in Northern Ireland, agreed: "We have been waiting five years for a strategy so we were hoping for a detailed action plan to set the context. We also want to see the strategy review panel established quickly, and hope that the children and young people's voluntary and community sector will be represented."