The North's Minister of Health, Ms Bairbre de Brun, introduced two initiatives to tackle domestic violence and its effects on children.
The plan was introduced at a conference on the issue organised by the Bar Council and the Law Society of Northern Ireland in Belfast yesterday.
A comprehensive study to be published in early spring is to identify existing services for children affected by domestic violence as well as make recommendations on how these could be improved. The research will be commissioned by the Equality Unit, which is attached to the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister.
A sub-group of the Regional Forum on Domestic Violence, which will include representatives from each of the Area Child Protection Committees, Barnar dos, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Child Care and various law enforcement agencies, is to be set up to highlight the specific needs of children in abusive family circumstances.
Ms de Brun said the subgroup's priority would be an audit of what training was available on child protection issues for people working in the area.
A Women's Coalition MLA, Prof Monica McWilliams, who is an expert in the field, said that while the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 put the North at a considerable advantage over England, where only guidelines existed, the implementation of the legislation still left a lot to be desired.
She was particularly concerned that many of the support services pulled out when parents separated, a time identified as the most dangerous for abused women and children, she said.
"There is a serious need for aftercare as well as for risk-assessment training and greater co-ordination between the various agencies. Women must also feel that the legal system is more accessible to them and that they will be believed in court." she said.
Conference delegates were addressed by two judges, Mr Justice Wall and Mr Justice Higgins, the president of the Northern Ireland Law Society, Mr John Meehan, as well as by child psychiatrists and representatives of women's groups.
According to the Law Society, 14 women and three men have died in Northern Ireland in the past two years as a result of domestic violence. Last year, the RUC attended 15,304 domestic incidents, almost half of which involved violence. The North's Women's Aid helpline receives an average of 650 calls a week.