Neglect of children motion carried

The assembly debated a cross-party motion on the neglect of children and young people on 24 November 2009.

The committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister brought the motion, which expressed concern at the level of neglect of children and called on the executive to prioritise early intervention and prevention.

In 2008, a Save the Children report found that 21% of children in Northern Ireland were living in long-term poverty.

Moving the motion, Progressive Unionist Party MLA Dawn Purvis said neglect was a very complex issue and was often very difficult to identify because it could be the result of a long-term situation, rather than one-off incidents.

She said that despite the complexities of the issue, it was vital that it was properly addressed.

Children who were neglected often suffered poor educational attainment, bullying, had poor social skills and brought their problems through to adulthood.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said he had no difficulty in supporting the motion, which he believed was aimed at dealing with the issue on a long-term basis and preventing harm coming to children.

He said he had been warning the assembly about the under-funding of health and social services for the past two and a half years to allow the department to deal with such problems.

Families in which neglect occurred often had financial problems, physical or mental health issues, sexual and domestic violence, or been overwhelmed by tragedies in their lives, he said.

In Northern Ireland, there were 2,500 children in care and 2,000 were on the child protection register. More than 100,000 children were living in poverty and 40,000 children were living in a household where there was substance abuse, said the minister.

The motion was carried.