Over the next three years Barnardo's plans to raise £5 million pounds to invest in services for children and families affected by difficulties such as marital breakdown and homelessness. The announcement was made at the launch of the Barnardo's three-year action plan. The plan is designed to "make sustainable commitments to children and families into the next millennium".

The needs of children in Ireland today are identified in the plan and proposals for tackling the difficulties children face are made. In particular, the action plan looks at the extent of child poverty, currently affecting one in three children, and proposes ways of alleviating this problem. According to Owen Keenan, chief executive of Barnardo's, "the weekly cost of detaining a prisoner in Ireland is almost £1,000. Barnardo's holds to the principle that prevention is better than cure. "Let's review our approach and tackle social problems in the formative years, instead of paying the cost further down the road."

THE Children's Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin was officially launched by President Mary McAleese last week.

Set up in 1995, the research centre has been conducting research into child-related issues for government departments, state agencies and voluntary trusts. A gift of £450,000 has been made available to the centre to conduct research into issues concerning children and young people over the next three years. These issues include early school-leaving, juvenile crime and children's experiences of drug problems. The centre will also look into the organisation and operation of child related services.