AQW 26512/22-27
Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley
Tabled Date: 01/05/2025
Answered On Date: 16/05/2025
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Education whether the current Sensory Support Service will be reviewed.
Answer:
As per the answer provided to AQW 26516 the Education Authority (EA) has advised that: The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Transformation Team is nearing finalisation of the SEND Local IMPACT Teams (LITs) operating model ahead of its roll out in September 2025. The EA’s Sensory Service will continue to be delivered in its current form (i.e. regionally) but will sit within the Regional Management Unit (RMU) which will oversee the Local IMPACT Teams. As such collaboration and sharing of information will be delivered through a single management structure for both services. This will include the Sensory Service collaborating directly with the relevant Local IMPACT Team to co-ordinate blended support for a sensory-impaired child or young person who also has wider special educational needs. The structure and function of the Local IMPACT Team network and RMU will be under continual review across its first phase of operation and this will include the positioning of the remaining regionalised services, such as the Sensory Service. It should also be noted that the EA’s Sensory Service underwent an internal audit in financial year 2024/2025 and the Opinion Rating was green.
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