Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Barry Andrews today said there was a clear rebalancing and refocus of child welfare services towards early intervention and support for families.
Speaking today at the ISPCC’s AGM, Mr Andrews said services such as the ISPCC's Child Focus community-based project mirror Government’s policy of early intervention and family support.
The Minister went on to highlight the principles behind a new policy for children's services unveiled in December 2007, The Agenda for Children's Services.
“The principle [of the agenda] is to help and support a child with their family and within the community where they live” the Minister said.
This policy is aimed at all policy makers, managers and frontline staff working with children.
Calling on all statutory and voluntary agencies to work together for vulnerable children and their families, Mr Andrews also commended the ISPCC for its role in providing a voice for children and for the services they provide.
"The community based projects such as Child Focus, Childline, 4Me and Leanbh demonstrated the ISPCC’s commitment to a child-centred approach, inclusiveness and equal treatment of all children,” he said.
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