Debate contribution: Children's Year 1 Health Review

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Robinson on 10 March 2025.

MLA

Mr Alan Robinson

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

10 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Children's Year 1 Health Review

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4841533

Read the official Assembly record

Text

OK. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I very much appreciate all the contributions, and I thank everyone who contributed. I thank the proposer of the Alliance amendment, which focuses on recommendations that remain outstanding from the 'A Fair Start' report and the independent review of education. As was said earlier, we are content with the amendment. The health of young people in Northern Ireland is certainly an issue that the Minister's Department needs to get a grip of, and he has certainly given commitments today that that is what he intends to do. The one-year-old health review is key in the early years of a child's life. It helps to identify potential health concerns and provide parents with guidance and support, but it also ensures that children have the best possible start in life. The fact that 15% of children across Northern Ireland miss their health visitor review at that key stage and the fact that, in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, that figure has soared to a shocking 46% should be sending alarm bells to the Minister's Department. As has been said, missing the one-year-old review could well lead to many lost opportunities to detect developmental delays and the ability to provide an early intervention that could change the trajectory of a child's life. Whilst health visitors are responsible for monitoring a child's growth and development, they are also an important support pillar for parents. They provide guidance on nutrition, sleep, immunisation and mental health, and they are often the first to identify when a child may need additional support services. Their work ensures that concerns are dealt with and that families do not fall through the sometimes complicated health system. For many parents, especially those facing socio-economic challenges, health visitors offer reassurance, advice and signposting to services that can make an enormous difference in a child's early years. Missing out on a health review could see some children go without the support that they require, leading to greater difficulties down the line, such as with speech and language development, motor skills and overall well-being. Missing the one-year-old health review can also be a lost opportunity to detect early signs of developmental delay, to support a family struggling with postnatal mental health, or to provide information on immunisation and nutrition. How many times have we heard it said in the House — we have heard it here today — that early intervention is key to improving outcomes? That could not be truer for children. Studies consistently show that, if developmental delays are identified and addressed early, it leads to significantly better outcomes in education, mental health and overall well-being. Missing out on health reviews means that developmental delays may go unnoticed until a child starts nursery or even primary school, by which time interventions are much more difficult, more costly and less effective. The disparity between different health and social care trusts raises concerns about equity in access to services. Why should a child in one part of the Province have a dramatically lower chance of receiving a health review than a child in another? The postcode lottery flies in the face of the aim of ensuring that every child has an equal chance of a healthy start in life. The Minister must ensure — I am glad, as I said earlier, that he has committed to it — that all health and social care trusts ensure that every child receives their one-year-old health review within the accepted time frame. The Department cannot allow another year in which nearly half of the children in one health and social care trust miss out on their health review. I will comment on some of the contributions. My eloquent colleague Diane Dodds talked about the importance of the debate. She said that, although it is important for the Department of Health, it is an issue that cuts across a number of Departments. She said that children are precious, which could be the most critical thing that has been said in the Chamber today. Diane also spoke of there being no magic wall between trusts. I am sure that the Minister agrees that all trusts should work and think as one, particularly when it comes to this important issue. Michelle Guy, in proposing the amendment, talked in depth about the Healthy Child, Healthy Future framework. She also highlighted the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child's life. I am sure that all of us who are parents agree. Philip McGuigan, the Chair of the Health Committee, focused on early detection's being so vital and on the importance of the motion, for which we are all grateful. My Health Committee colleague Alan Chambers talked about the importance of the outcomes for children. He said that he hoped that the issues would not occur again. We all concur. Colin McGrath from the Opposition said that children should always have the best start in life, in keeping with the theme of others who took part in the debate. Órlaithí Flynn talked about the postcode lottery, and the importance of Sure Start. Peter Martin my party colleague also talked about the first 1,000 days and about those starting in the womb. He also talked at length about early intervention. Gerry Carroll talked about this issue's being another crisis in the health service. He said that children should not be made to pay for the problems in the health service. We are grateful, Minister, for your saying that the target needs to be 100% and that children should have the best possible start in life. That is the crux of the motion. The Minister also said that the figures before us are unacceptable. Furthermore, he talked about the workforce challenges in the Southern Trust, but it would have been good to hear about whether it would have been possible to draft in health visitors from other trusts to fill the void. It was good to hear that a refreshed Healthy Child, Healthy Future framework will be published in May. We look forward to your returning to the House so that we can debate the matter in more detail. I very much appreciate everyone's contributions today, and I thank Diane Dodds for tabling the motion with me.

1,042 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification