AQW 18330/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 18/11/2024
Answered On Date: 03/12/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health how he will ensure the £13 million funding on learning disability services is meaningfully co-designed with parents.

Answer:

My Department recognises the importance of co-design and the value it adds. The Framework for Children with Disabilities has been developed through meaningful engagement with families and providers to set the priorities for my Department and Trusts. It is recognised that further work is needed to better involve those that use our services and those that deliver our services.

Meaningful co-design requires capacity and relationship building with families. My officials have committed to using existing engagement structures to identify and utilise opportunities to ensure experts by experience and providers can shape the services that will be expanded, however, as this process takes time, it will be challenging to ensure that co-design is meaningfully built into the recent allocation of additional funds, balanced against the need to produce urgent improvements to services.

To guide the wider implementation of the Framework for Children with Disabilities, my officials intend to hold a workshop with the sector and service users in Spring 2025.