evidence: The Children (NI) Order that will become law in Northern Ireland on October 1, 1996 is similar to the 1989 Children Act in England and Wales and provides for the most significant reforms in child care law that has ever occurred in Northern Ireland. The law was designed to replace existing fragmented laws, increase the emphasis on prevention, and change the relationship of the government and the family into one of partnership. The law also aims to establish new balances regarding the rights and responsibilities of parents, the duties of the government to protect child welfare, and children's own views of their needs and how they can be met. The order rests on five principles: the child's welfare as the paramount consideration, parental responsibility, partnerships among families and the government, prevention, and protection. The law establishes two new orders: the care order and the supervision order. Other possible orders include contact orders, residence orders, prohibited steps orders, and specific issues orders.