Sinn Féin MLA Catherine Kelly has said robust measures to identify child poverty must be included in the Children and Young People’s Strategy.

The West Tyrone MLA was speaking as members of the Education Committee consider consultation responses to the draft strategy.

Catherine Kelly said: 

“Poverty is one of many challenging life experiences faced by children and young people.

“The way we measure child poverty is absolutely crucial if we are serious about delivering real change. Relative poverty is widely accepted as being the most robust with all four measures in the Child Poverty Act 2010 regarded as the most effective way of identifying need.

“Setting the right targets to measure outcomes against is fundamental to the delivery of a meaningful strategy for Children and Young People.”