AQW 31/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 16/05/2022
Answered On Date: 09/06/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health how families with children with learning disabilities will be prioritised for respite services following the reduction in services during the pandemic.

Answer:

Respite services play a critical role in supporting disabled children, young people and their families to stay together and reduce the need for intensive late interventions by Health & Social Care. Due to increasing complexity presented by children with disabilities, there has been growing demand for short breaks and long term residential care placements, which has been further impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Respite services for families with children with learning disabilities continue to be prioritised on the assessed needs of the individual and their family. There is a recognition at a regional and departmental level that there are insufficient short breaks and residential care placements to meet the growing complexity of Children with Disabilities (CwD).

To meet the future service needs, the HSCB (now the Department’s Strategic Planning & Performance Group) developed a Regional Framework for Children’s Disability Services, which proposes a new overarching model of care for children with a disability in Northern Ireland. This draft framework outlines a new model of practice based on the principles of: (i) early intervention; (ii) collaboration and multi-agency working; (iii) co-design and decision making with families; and (iv) person centred care.

The implementation of the framework will be underpinned by four strategic work streams, which will require significant transformation across Health & Social Care services:

Improving our early offer of help and community based supports;

Developing additional effective residential short breaks, fostering and intensive family support;

Rethinking our approach to residential provision and how we support CwD effectively in out of home placements; and

Getting Transition right

The CwD draft framework is currently under consideration by the Department. It should however it should be noted that the recommendations set out in the framework will require significant re-design of existing services, workforce development and investment.