The Government has been given an overall D- grade on its responsibilities to children in a report published by the Children's Rights Alliance.
This is the group's second report to grade the Government on how it is progressing on its own commitments to children in the areas of education, health, material well-being and safeguarding childhood.
The report is endorsed by an external assessment panel, including President of the Law Reform Commission Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness, employers and trade unions representatives.
The report found the Government's performance to be 'barely acceptable'.
The Government was given a F grade (Fail) in the policy areas of alcohol, primary care and financial support for families, because of moves such as the 10% cut to child benefit payment.
The report said education was the only policy area where the Government performed better, particularly in the early childhood care and education area after the introduction of a free pre-school year initiative.
Judge Catherine McGuinness said she hopes the Government will have a second look at its decision in the Budget to cut child benefit by 10%.
Speaking the launch of the Children's Rights Alliance Report Card 2010, Judge McGuinness said the Goverment must have understood that its decision to cut child benefit across the board was an 'unjust' thing to do as it 'punished lower income groups'.
She said that in December the Government said it didn't have time to arrange the cut through the tax system to determine who has resources and who hasn't. But she said it's now time to look at that again and to devise a fairer system where child benefit would be directed towards those who really need it most.
