Health Minister Robbie Butler has underlined the significance of a new charter designed to place children, young people, parents and carers at the heart of decisions affecting them.

Called Our Pact, the agreement sets out how services in Northern Ireland should work with children, young people and families so they are respected, heard, kept informed and actively involved in choices about their lives.

The charter was created by the Reimagine Collective, a coalition of leading regional charities, under the Children's Social Care Services Reform Programme. Co-designed with young people and families, it seeks to respond to issues highlighted by the Independent Review of Children's Social Care Services led by Professor Ray Jones.

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 introduced through Together for Families, a new family support model launched in September that brings together The National Lottery Community Fund, the Department of Health, Health and Social Care Trusts, and the voluntary and community sector to provide earlier, practical and co-ordinated help closer to home.

In the months ahead, the focus will be on ensuring all staff and volunteers who work with children, young people and families understand Our Pact and what it means for their practice, with an implementation plan rolling out across organisations and sectors, including all Health and Social Care Trusts.

For the workforce, Our Pact is intended to boost consistency, support reflective practice and strengthen cross-agency collaboration. It will be embedded in policies, practice guidance and organisational systems so that participation becomes a routine element of service delivery.

The development of Our Pact offers a chance to refresh existing practice and make sure children, young people and families are listened to and that their views inform decision-making.

Members of the Children's Social Care Services Reform Programme Board have issued a joint statement endorsing Our Pact. Together for Families is backed by £59.2 million, comprising £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.