5Report on the operation of this Act
1
For each reporting period, the Executive must prepare a report on the operation of this Act.
2
The reporting period is—
a
for the first report prepared after the adoption of a strategy, the period since its adoption;
b
in any other case, the period since the preparation of the preceding report under this section.
3
The report must include statements on the following matters, so far as relating to the reporting period—
a
what actions have been taken by the Executive, and Northern Ireland departments, for the purpose of achieving the outcomes set out in the children and young persons strategy;
b
what progress has been made towards achieving those outcomes, or the extent to which they have been achieved;
c
how children's authorities and other children's service providers have co-operated with each other in the provision of children's services;
d
how children's authorities have exercised the powers conferred by section 4(2);
e
how the well-being of children and young persons has improved.
4
The report must also identify—
a
any further opportunities for co-operation between children's authorities and other children's service providers that could help to achieve the outcomes set out in the strategy,
b
any other ways in which the well-being of children and young persons could be improved, and
c
any ways in which the children and young persons strategy might be revised in order to contribute to those improvements.
5
The Executive must prepare a report under this section—
a
not more than 18 months after the date on which it adopted a children and young person's strategy,
b
thereafter, during the lifetime of that strategy, at intervals of not more than 3 years, and
c
at the end of the lifetime of a strategy.
6
But subsection (5)(c) does not apply if a report was prepared under this section less than 6 months before the end of the lifetime of the strategy.
7
Children's authorities must co-operate with the Executive in the preparation of a report under this section.
8
The Executive must—
a
lay the report before the Assembly, and
b
publish it in such other manner as the Executive thinks appropriate.