Children in Northern Ireland are being failed.
The publication of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services in Northern Ireland authored by Professor Ray Jones in 2023 painted a bleak picture. The Review reported families in urgent need, unable to access the support they required. Disturbingly, evidence since the publication of the Review suggests the situation has worsened:
- Increasing Rates of Child Poverty: According to the Department of Communities’ Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality Report (2022–23) there has been a statistically significant increase in child poverty from 18% in 2021/22 to 24% (around 109,000 children) in 2022/23.
- Record Levels of Children in Care: When Professor Jones commenced his Review in February 2022, there were around 3,500 children in care. By the time the Review was published in June 2023, this number had risen to over 3,800. The number of children in care has risen every month in the past year and now stands at 4,185 children (as Northern Ireland Children’s Social Services Data, Dec 24) which is the highest figure on record.
These figures are not just numbers. They represent lives of children and families who need help from a system which is no longer fit for purpose. The result? Too many vulnerable children and families are left waiting for support that too often arrives too late. The cost of this lack of early intervention for children is higher demand for adult public services, lost economic productivity and poorer life outcomes.
For decades, piecemeal reforms have tinkered at the edges of the system. While well–intentioned, these efforts have failed to address the structural issues underpinning Northern Ireland’s children’s social care crisis. The problem is not isolated to any one part of the system – it is deeply embedded in the structure.
The current division of children’s social care across five Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) has led to fragmented services that lack coordination. Children in different areas may receive vastly different levels of support, creating a postcode lottery of what services are available.
The Review identified the scale of the challenge and recommended transformational change that prioritised early intervention, regional consistency and collaboration. The central recommendation from the Review was for the creation of a single regional Children and Families Arms–Length Body (ALB). This shift towards a whole system approach was identified in the Review as the most effective solution to the systemic and endemic issues within the current system and the only viable pathway to achieve the scale of transformation required.
A Vision for Change: The Benefits of One Regional Children’s Organisation
The creation of one regional organisation dedicated to children and families has the potential to transform Northern Ireland’s children’s social care system and deliver the following benefits:
- Prioritising Children and Families: The central purpose of establishing a single regional organisation is to prioritise the needs of children, young people and families. By ensuring that planning and delivery are centred on their needs, this new structure would provide dedicated focus and strategic oversight of children’s social care without competing with other priorities such as hospitals and other health services.
- Improved Regional Consistency: With a standardised regional approach, all children across Northern Ireland could have equal access to care, regardless of where they live. This would increase fairness and equality in service provision. Vulnerable groups such as children in care, care leavers and children with disabilities would benefit most from improved accessibility to services.
- A Fresh Approach to Funding: A single regional organisation could address inefficiencies highlighted in the Review, replacing fragmented and inconsistent funding with transparent and accountable resource allocation. By reducing bureaucracy and duplication, more funds could be channelled directly into frontline services. The ability to focus on early intervention and prevention would not only enhance outcomes for children but also reduce long–term costs, creating a more sustainable system.
- Supporting Staff Effectively: Frontline workers are the backbone of children’s services but are currently burdened by unmanageable workloads. A regional organisation could use resources more efficiently and improve coordination and collaboration to deliver services more effectively. A key benefit of this approach would be the further development of multi–professional and multi–agency teams working together and sharing information to better support children and families.
- Strengthening Collaboration with the Community and Voluntary Sector: The community and voluntary sector is a vital yet underutilised partner in delivering children’s services. A new regional structure could provide a platform for stronger collaboration and a reset in relationships between statutory bodies and the community and voluntary sector to foster innovative, community–focused approaches that are responsive to local needs.
- Better Data: A single regional organisation would create an opportunity to develop a comprehensive data system to track outcomes for children and families on a regional basis — something that is currently not possible. By standardising data collection and analysis, it would become easier to monitor the impact of services, enable better service planning and identify areas for improvement. This approach would be beneficial in increasing transparency, accountability and building public confidence in the new system.
What Are We Waiting For?
Despite the potential benefits of a regionalised approach to children’s social care services and widespread support for creating a Children and Families ALB – including the majority of 60% of consultation respondents and backing from the Health Minister – progress has stalled.
Why?
Political parties in the Northern Ireland Executive have failed to make a decision on establishing a single regional organisation to prioritise children and families. Neither have they provided an alternative solution to the deep–rooted problems facing children’s social care services as identified by the Review. This lack of political leadership undermines progress and trust. Meanwhile every day of inaction deepens the crisis. Families continue to struggle, frontline workers remain overstretched, and children go without the support they need.
However, while progress has been slow, transformational change in children’s social care is within our reach. The Independent Review has given us a clear roadmap and many dedicated staff are working hard to make improvements where possible. Together, we have an opportunity to reimagine how children’s social care services are planned and delivered, and work towards a better future. For this vision to be realised, the NI Executive must demonstrate leadership and take decisive action to support the structural reform of children’s social care services.
Children cannot wait.
Dr Donna Kernaghan is a researcher and founder of Stats & Stories. She also coordinates the work of the Reimagine Children’s Collective which is a coalition of ten of the largest regional charities in Northern Ireland who work together to advocate for the effective implementation of the recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services in Northern Ireland.
