Children in NI ‘are missing out’
Children in Northern Ireland are losing out on a government initiative aimed to give them the best start in life, it has been claimed.
The claim was made by Concordia, an umbrella group representing business, trade unions and voluntary sector.
Concordia said despite the SureStart schemes for children having been extremely successful in England, there are no plans to introduce them in NI
The schemes help children with their key skills and emotional development.
Concordia chairman Seamus McAleavey said: “There are already 800 children’s centres in England with one planned for every community by 2010.
“Yet in Northern Ireland, where levels of child poverty are probably higher than in England, the government has announced no plans to introduce this valuable initiative.”
The SureStart programme aims to offer support to families, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
Their brief covers everything from health issues to social isolation.
The idea is to get at children early, and help them to achieve more, later in life.
