NI Children's Commissioner is Nigel Williams

A report from commissioner Nigel Williams, looks at speech therapy services for those under 18.

The highly critical report looks at the length of time children wait, both to be assessed and treated, and how the wait depends on where they live.

Mr Williams called for an end to what he described as "a postcode lottery".

The report shows children are waiting to be initially assessed as to whether they need speech and language therapy and then waiting again for treatment to begin.

Children who live on the north coast will be assessed between four and five weeks on average but can then wait for up to a year before their treatment starts.

However, children in the Western Health Board and the Newry and Mourne areas face the longest waits - often up to 18 months.

Mr Williams called for the creation of a task force to develop an urgent action plan on speech and language therapy.

"It is clear from this overview of speech and language that the wait for services varies enormously across Northern Ireland," he said.

"That means that how long a child or young person waits for therapy can depend entirely on their postcode."

Mr Williams said that all the parents he had spoken to had praised the professional work of speech and language therapists.