Health Minister has highlighted the
importance of a new charter aimed at ensuring children, young
people, parents and carers play a central role in decision
making.
Our Pact is a shared agreement that sets out how services for
children, young people and families in Northern Ireland should
support and work with them, ensuring that they are
respected, heard, informed and, importantly, involved in
decisions about their lives.
Our Pact was developed by the Reimagine Collective, a group of
leading regional charities in Northern Ireland, under the
auspices of the Children's Social Care Services Reform
Programme.
Co-designed with young people and families, the charter's purpose
is to address some of the issues raised in the Independent Review
of Children's Social Care Services led by Professor Ray .
The Minister said:
Children, young people, parents and carers involved in the
social care system want to feel heard and taken seriously.
They want to understand their choices and know who can help. They
want services to be clear, respectful and consistent so they can
feel safe throughout their involvement with social care.
That's why Our Pact is so important. It was designed to ensure
children, young people and their families are at the core of
everything that we do. That they are partners in a system, not
simply passive recipients.
Our Pact is a commitment to working together.
Our Pact is being rolled out as part of the new family support
model Together for Families, a major new partnership designed to
transform early support for families across
NorthernIreland.
Formally launched in September, it brings together The National
Lottery Community Fund, the Department of Health, Healthand
Social Care Trustsand the voluntary and community sector to make
it easier for families to access practical,coordinatedsupport
earlier and closer to home.
In the coming months, the priority will be to ensure that all
staff and volunteers who work with children, young people and
families understand what Our Pact is and what it means for how
they work. An implementation plan is being rolled out across
organisations and sectors, including all Health and Social Care
Trusts.
For staff, Our Pact strengthens consistency, supports reflective
practice and encourages cross-agency collaboration. Our Pact
will be embedded in policies, practice guidance and
organisational systems so that participation becomes a consistent
part of everyday service delivery.
The development of Our Pact provides an opportunity to
refresh existing practice and to ensure children, young people
and families are being listened to and their views are being
taken into account.
Notes to editors:
- Details on Our Pact, including guidance for staff, can be
read here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/our-pact Members
of the Children's Social Care Services Reform Programme Board are
signatories to a joint statement signalling their endorsement of
Our Pact. That statement can be read here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-09/OUR
PACT Joint Statement2.pdf The reform of Children's
Social Care Services is being overseen by the Strategic Reform
Programme Board. The Board provides strategic oversight,
direction and governance, to deliver reform within children's
social care services, which is intended to address a range of
know service challenges and difficulties.
- The Our Pact Model was created in partnership with children,
young people, parents, carers, community and voluntary
organisations, the Department of Health, and Health and Social
Care Trust staff.
- Together for Families is supported by a £59.2 million
investment, with £30 million from The National Lottery Community
Fund and £29.2 million from the Northern Ireland Public Sector
Transformation Fund, provided by the UK Government.
- The Reimagine Children's Collective is a group of leading
regional charities in Northern Ireland, united in a shared
mission to transform children's social care.
