Plan to improve children's lives

The National Children's Strategy is now under way, following its introduction to the county and city development boards (CDBs) last week.

Launched last year, the strategy is a 10-year plan to improve the quality of children's lives. Its goals include ensuring every child has access to play and recreation facilities and that their developmental needs and views are considered in decisions that affect them.

A major reform of how the Government co-ordinates and delivers services for children is part of the strategy. The CDBs have been chosen to lead the strategy in local communities as they will have responsibility for drawing up plans for economic, social and cultural development for their areas by January 2002.

The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Noel Dempsey, says the CDBs are "ideally positioned to improve the co-ordination of children's issues locally".

Minister of State for Children Mary Hanafin begins a series of local visits to promote the strategy on Friday. "Children want decent playgrounds and sports fields. The Government is already committed to developing a National Play and Recreation Plan with a dedicated fund for implementation. I'm calling on the CBDs to address these and the other needs of children in their plans," she said.