Karen Black from Wentworth Green, Tandragee Road, has been caring for seven-year-old Lucie-Jo, who has Downs Syndrome, for three years and she is now helping flag up the new NICMA campaign to have other registered childminders follow suit.

The report, launched in Belfast in December at the offices of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, was highly critical of the level of daycare services for children with special needs. Interestingly, its findings coincide with a recent Southern Health Board report which highlighted that only 77 out of a toal of 775 children with disabilities had received respite care during 2007.

Commissioned by the childminding association, the report highlights how parents of children with both physical and learning disabilities in Northern Ireland are struggling to access appropriate daycare services which could provide them with badly-needed respite care and enable them to go out to work.

Co-author, Teresa Geraghty of the National Children's Bureau Northern Ireland, said there was a "pressing need" for more resources, together with a more flexible and co-ordinated approach on the part of the various agencies responsible for daycare.

Karen, who has been a registered childminder for four-and-a-half years, and Lucie-Jo's mother, Trudie Outhwaite, joined forces to raise the issue and told how the relationship was a virtual lifeline to Trudie, while providing enormous job satisfaction for Karen.

"I was really nervous when Lucie-Jo's mum asked if I would take her on, but I have to say that looking after Lucie-Jo has been so rewarding," said Karen. ""I would really encourage any other childminders who are thinking about taking on children with special needs to go for it. It is hard work, but the satisfaction you get makes it all worthwhile."

Lucie-Jo, who is also partially sighted, is considered part of the Black family and is loved like a sister by Karen's own two children, Bailey (9) and Jodi (7). "Lucie-Jo is an amazing little girl and so loving," added Karen. "Of course, she can have her moments like any child, but we all, as a family, get so much back from her."

"I always say all children are different and have their own special needs anyway. Lucie-Jo has learned so much from us, and in turn we have learned so much from her - particularly Bailey and Jodi. Having a child with special needs in the house let's them see how people are different and we all have our own problems to cope with. We don't live in a normal world anyway.

"You do need to have a passion for helping parents out and some may be put off because you may have to meet with the child's social worker for instance, but it's all fairly straight forward."

Karen, who is six months pregnant with her third child, looks after Lucie-Jo for 72 hours a month through the Barnardo's volunteering scheme and for 16 hours a week - during school holidays - through the board's sponsored childminding scheme.