AQW 22526/22-27


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 13/02/2025
Answered On Date: 28/02/2025
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether his Department has engaged with the Department for the Economy and the Department of Education to ensure coordinated support for young people with special educational needs during their transition to adulthood.


Answer:
My Department has engaged with Economy and Education to improve support and services for young people with special educational needs (SEN) as their transition to adult services.
A cross-departmental Transitions working group has undertaken work to review and improve the SEN Transitions process and to update the existing Code of Practice through the SEN End to End Review. The working group includes representatives from Health, Education, Communities, and Economy. To date, the group has conducted a survey, and the outputs will be used to improve the transitions process which will inform further work to provide children with much greater choice and control on their lives after school, while recognising that Health has a pivotal role to ensure care and health needs are supported. Ongoing cross-departmental work will continue as part of the SEN Reform Agenda and Delivery Plan.
In terms of legislative change, I have committed my support to working with the Department for the Economy as they explore options and review what support is currently available for children over the age of 19 years with SEN.
Health and Social Care will support a cohort of children with SEN throughout their life in school and transition to adult services. Supports provided are dependent on assessed need, although it is likely that HSC services will have a continued presence in the lives of children with disabilities and their families. This may include day activity, transport, short breaks, accommodation-based support, and self-directed support.
My officials have worked closely with Trusts to develop a regional protocol for Transitions to ensure that the supports we provide are regionally consistent. The next phase of this work is to commence a localised pilot ahead of regional scale up. The draft protocol has been shared with Economy and Education.