AQW 522/22-27
Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast
Tabled Date: 25/05/2022
Answered On Date: 13/06/2022
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what support his Department is providing asylum seeking children and their families who are being accommodated in contingency accommodation.
Answer:
Public Health Nursing Teams through either the Northern Ireland New Entrants Service (NINES) or Core Health Visiting and School Nursing Services are addressing the needs of asylum seekers and their children living in contingency accommodation. When they are made aware of families living in contingency accommodation, these teams complete a family health needs assessment. Based on this assessment, the teams provide either a core or targeted service for families dependent on their needs, and refer and signpost to other services as required. They also commence registration of children with the Child Health System which allows for generation of appointments for vaccinations and future health reviews. Where school nurses are made aware of asylum seekers in schools they complete a school-based health review for those children from primary 1 up to and including year 8. NINES also provides drop-in health clinics in hotels being used as contingency accommodation. These clinics give asylum seekers who may otherwise be unknown to services the opportunity to engage with health services and to commence their GP registration. Covid-specific pop up vaccination clinics are currently being organised to take place in the contingency hotels in Belfast for both adults and children who are eligible for these vaccinations. My Department has also worked with the Business Services Organisation and support organisations to ensure the simplest and quickest process is in place to enable those seeking asylum to register with a GP in Northern Ireland for the first time. This includes individuals who are housed in contingency accommodation. Information on the process for asylum seekers to register with a GP is available in a number of different languages on the BSO’s website at https://hscbusiness.hscni.net/services/1814.htm In addition, my Department is engaging with the Home Office to ensure that referral pathways are in place so that any family support or childcare concerns which are identified by its staff working in contingency accommodation are brought to the attention of the relevant Health and Social Care Trust for an appropriate response.
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